Ever had one of those days where nothing goes right? You wake up feeling awful, your body refuses to cooperate, and all you want to do is crawl back into bed. Now imagine that, but instead of dealing with everyday struggles and a boss breathing down your neck, it’s Michael ‘Venom’ Page punching you in the face. Welcome to Shara Magomedov‘s UFC Fight Night 250 experience.

Shara Bullet, the undefeated Russian striking sensation, finally met his match, or so it seemed. But according to him, it wasn’t Page who handed him his first loss; it was his own body that betrayed him. “I was really sick,” Magomedov told Russian MMA media outlet Ushatayka, painting a picture that sounded less like a fight camp and more like a medical horror story. “When I went to my corner after the first round, I threw up very badly. This bile that had accumulated did not allow me to work. It is still with me to this day.”

And he wasn’t quite done. “Thirty percent of me was in the cage,” he admitted as if the rest of him had decided to call in sick. “My legs didn’t obey me, my arms were weak.” Turns out, his real opponent wasn’t the 37-year-old veteran but a cocktail of dysbacteriosis, intestinal parasitosis, and bile drainage problems. “I thought I would at least solve this problem before the fight, but it wasn’t solved either. So I couldn’t add the necessary tempo.” The usually ferocious Dagestani found himself throwing two or three punches before needing a break because apparently, even his stomach wanted out of this fight.

While Magomedov was busy waging war with his insides, seems like Michael ‘Venom’ Page had a much simpler task, winning. And he did so in style. The Brit played it smart, controlled the fight with well-placed strikes and clinch work, and never really looked in danger. The judges saw it the same way, handing him a comfortable unanimous decision. But Page wasn’t just looking for a win, he was making a statement. And what better way to do that than by hijacking Shara Bullet’s whole pirate theme?

Was it necessary for MVP to take over Shara Magomedov’s ship?

This co-main event had all the makings of a classic, two flashy, unpredictable strikers stepping into the Octagon for a chess match. The question was, who would outmaneuver the other? By the final horn, the answer was painfully obvious, Michael ‘Venom’ Page had taken the wheel, and Shara Bullet was stuck in the passenger seat.

And just in case there was any doubt, the veteran made sure to rub it in and dictate control. “I am the captain now,” he declared post-fight in a tribute to Tom Hanks’ 2013 film Captain Phillips while also taking a subtle dig at Magomedov’s whole pirate aesthetic. The message was clear, he didn’t pass by just to win. He was here to take over and rule. At 37, Page has been around the block.

He burst into the UFC with a highlight-reel win over Kevin Holland, stumbled against Ian Garry, and now finds himself right back in the mix with this win. Not bad for a guy whose style some people still call ‘too flashy.’ As for Magomedov, well, he’s already given the haters something to celebrate. “Haters, rejoice, it’s your time,” he said, throwing them a bone before inevitably coming back with a vengeance.

Because love him or hate him, Shara Bullet isn’t the type to fade quietly into the background. So, what now? Does Page continue his rise at middleweight? Does Magomedov return healthier and ready to prove this was just a fluke? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!