Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov has his next UFC assignment in the calendar.
The one-eyed Magomedov burst onto the scene with a perfect start to life in mixed martial arts' leading promotion.
After gaining plenty of attention with his intimidating look and pirate persona, the Dagestani also began delivering the goods inside the cage. Most notable was Magomedov's memorable double spinning backfist knockout of Armen Petrosyan last October.
But the rise of 'Bullet' came to a sudden and emphatic halt in February when he ran into the unique striking puzzle posed by Michael 'Venom' Page.
A disappointing display in Saudi Arabia dented the hype behind Magomedov, but he fully expects to get the fans back on his side with a winning performance opposite Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.
Shortly before UFC CEO Dana White announced a slew of major fights on Tuesday, including Magomedov's next matchup, the Russian 30-year-old appeared on Instagram with an ominous warning to his next opponent.
Channelling his inner pirate, 'Bullet' promised to bring a "storm" with him to the cage come fight night inside Etihad Arena later this year.
"Every warrior is destined to face a time of silence... but the calm is over. The Pirate lifts anchor, driven by a voice within. It's time to leave the quiet harbor and sail into open seas. The silence is behind him. The sails are raised.
"He doesn't set out for a peaceful voyage -- he sails for glory. He's not just crossing waters -- he's hunting his prize. The oceans await. The battles call. A storm is coming to the octagon."
Although Magomedov is coming off a setback in the UFC, the result against Page was his first taste of defeat in both the promotion and MMA as a whole.
Having joined the UFC as an 11-0 professional, the unbeaten prospect quickly went about enhancing his résumé with victories over Bruno Silva -- who notably gave Alex Pereira a run for his money in the former champion's rise to the top -- Antonio Trocoli, and Michal Oleksiejczuk.
The subsequent highlight KO against Petrosyan marked Magomedov's best win to date, and the 4-1 UFC middleweight will look to deliver a similar performance when he makes the walk in Abu Dhabi for his second fight of 2025.