Nights in Baku were full of explosive finishes and definitive concerts. In all, there were nine episodes (many reel-reel-worthy), four submissions (one very unusual and one mysterious), and one very crowded crowd. Let’s talk about MMA.
Important Facts at a Glance
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Main event: Rafael Fiziev explains. Manuel Torres by KO (wheel kick and punches), Round 2, 0:15
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Main event: Shara Magomedov def. Michel Pereira by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
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Nine of 13 bouts ended within the distance (five KO/TKO, four submissions)
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Performance of the Night ($100,000 each): Rafael Fiziev, Asu Almabayev, Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev, Daniil Donchenko
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Finish Bonus ($25,000 each): Matheus Camilo, Abus Magomedov, Nursulton Ruziboev, Kaan Ofli, Tahir Abdullayev
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Venue: National Gymnastics Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan
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Who Won UFC Baku? Full Results
Rafael Fiziev thrilled the home crowd with a second-round TKO victory over Manuel Torres. This will go down as one of his best works.
Fiziev dropped Torres with a spinning wheel kick minutes into the second round, then hustled to a finish at 0:15 of the UFC’s main event. The win broke a slide of 1-4 in his last five, and he immediately called for the BMF title, revealing afterwards that the Torres jab had left him fighting with double vision.
Here’s how the entire battle in Baku played out:
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Rafael Fiziev explains. Manuel Torres by KO (wheel kick, punches), R2, 0:15
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Shara Magomedov explains. Michel Pereira by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
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Matheus Camilo explains. Nazim Sadykhov via TKO (boxing), R1, 1:31
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Asu Almabayev explains. Charles Johnson by submission (Suloev stretch), R3, 3:33
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Ikram Aliskerov explains. Bruno Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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Abus Magomedov explains. Michal Oleksiejczuk via submission (guillotine), R1, 3:25
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Farman Hasanov explains. Eric Nolan by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev explains. Julius Walker via KO (punch), R1, 0:08
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Nursulton Ruziboev explains. Andrey Pulyaev by submission (back-naked choke), R1, 3:58
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Kaan Ofli explains. Javier Reyes by submission (arm-triangle), R1, 4:16
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Daniil Donchenko explains. Theodor Berggren by TKO (head kicks, punches), R2, 1:35
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Jean Matsumoto explains. Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
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Tahir Abdullayev explains. Jefferson Nascimento by TKO (strikes), R3, 4:28
Which Fighters Have Received Bonuses In The UFC?
The race for any of the four $100K bonuses was tight on a night with a few memorable finishes. However, Fiziev, Asu Almabayev, Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev and Daniil Donchenko receive additional income for their work.
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No Fight of the Night was awarded. Instead, five other fighters, Matheus Camilo, Abus Magomedov, Nursulton Ruziboev, Kaan Ofli and Tahir Abdullayev, collected $25,000 finish bonuses, making it one of the most lucrative UFC Fight Night cards in recent months.
What are the best UFC Baku Episodes and Highlights?
I know how crazy UFC Freedom 250 was and I’m not trying to say that UFC Baku was a better card overall. However, from a crowd-pleasing perspective and overall appeal, this card can hold its own against any event.
It’s hard to pick the best, but Almabayev’s Suloev Stretch over a respected ranked opponent like Johnson was insane. Yakhyaev’s 8-second KO also stands out, and may lead to Julius Walker’s release from the promotion. It was a lot.
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What’s Next for Rafael Fiziev and UFC Baku Winners?
Fiziev asked to fight Charles Oliveira for the BMF title. However, that may be hard to come by as Oliveira wants to challenge Justin Gaethje for the UFC title to unify the two belts. Magomedov wants Israel Adesanya and there’s no reason why he can’t get the UFC legend in free fall.
A signature win like this should once again propel Fiziev up the lightweight ranks after a tough stretch. Yakhyaev (now 3-0 in the UFC with all first-round finishes) and Donchenko (three straight wins) leave Baku as legitimate follow-up prospects.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
