The upcoming UFC Baku has received a banger main event as Rafael Fiziev will take on Manuel Torres in the five-round headliner.
The promotion was officially announced on Tuesday that Fiziev vs. Torres will headline the event in a lightweight banger. The co-main event features a middleweight bout between Shara Magomedov and Michel Pereira.
UFC Baku takes place on June 27 at the National Gymnastics Arena. This will be the UFC’s second trip to the capital of Azerbaijan in as many years, after last year’s event featuring a light heavyweight headliner between Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.
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Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres is a Lightweight Banger
Rafael Fiziev is the No. 11-ranked lightweight in the official UFC rankings. The 33-year-old Azerbaijani fighter joined the UFC in 2019, and he has become one of the staples of the lightweight division ever since then. Overall, he holds a 9-5 record inside the Octagon, with three finishes and seven bonus awards. Fiziev has fallen on hard times as of late, having lost four of his last five bouts, including a vicious TKO loss to Mauricio Ruffy in his last fight. However, he’s a fantastic fighter who is always in banger fights and, as the most popular Azerbaijani fighter on the roster, it makes total sense for him to be the headliner of this UFC Baku event. Last year, he was the co-main event and beat Ignacio Bahamondes by unanimous decision.
As for Torres, the 31-year-old Mexican is someone who UFC president Dana White is very high on. He joined the promotion in 2022, and since then, he has held a 5-1 UFC record with five finishes and five bonus awards. Torres was ranked in the top 15 of the lightweight division up until today, when Quillan Salkilld took his spot in the rankings following his breakthrough win at UFC Perth. But Torres, with a win over Fiziev, will not only rejoin the rankings again, but he should be in line for a top-10 opponent in his next outing, should he get past his opponent, in a bout that has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira Promises to be Fireworks
Also on the card is a middleweight co-main event between strikers Shara Magomedov and Michel Pereira.
Magomedov joined the UFC in 2023, and he holds a 5-1 record in the promotion thus far, including two knockout wins and four bonus awards. The 31-year-old Russian is coming off a unanimous decision win over Canadian Marc-Andre Barriault in his last fight, and he will look to make it two in a row when he battles Pereira in what has the potential to be a high-action affair.
Pereira is 10-5 in the UFC since he joined the promotion in 2019. The 32-year-old Brazilian has always had exciting fights and has won five fights by stoppage, plus seven bonus awards. He is coming off a split decision win over Zachary Reese in his last bout, and will be looking to make it two wins in a row after he dropped three straight fights before that.
UFC Baku Gets Lightweight Banger Headliner