UFC Fight Night Baku Recap: Rafael Fiziev Stops Manuel Torres With Spinning Wheel Kick, Full Fight Card Results
By Real Combat Media MMA Editorial Staff
Baku, Azerbaijan (June 28th, 2026)– Rafael Fiziev needed a moment like this, and he delivered it in the best way possible: on home soil, in front of a roaring Azerbaijani crowd, with the same highlight reel weapon that made him a star in the first place.
UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres went down June 27 at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, and the hometown lightweight closed out the night by stopping Manuel Torres in one of the most electric finishes of the year. Fiziev entered the cage carrying a brutal one win in five fight stretch, including a pair of decision losses to current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. None of that mattered once the second round started. Just fifteen seconds in, Fiziev launched a spinning wheel kick that crumpled Torres against the fence, then followed with a swarm of punches that forced referee Marc Goddard to step in. It’s the same technique that made Fiziev famous when he knocked out Brad Riddell back in 2021, and he admitted afterward that he could barely see out of one eye after eating a hard jab in round one. He fought through it anyway and called for a BMF title fight on the way out of the Octagon. Fiziev moves to 14-5, while Torres, previously riding an eight-fight stretch with every finish coming in the opening round, drops to 17-4 and now has to answer questions about his own championship rounds for the first time in his UFC career.
The middleweight co-main event between Shara Magomedov and Michel Pereira turned into a chess match. Pereira came out fast and dropped Magomedov with a clean right hand in round one, but Magomedov settled into his kicking game over the next two rounds and pulled away on the scorecards for a clean sweep, winning by unanimous decision. Elsewhere on the main card, Matheus Camilo silenced the building with a first-round upset over local favorite Nazim Sadykhov, dropping him with a straight right and finishing on the mat with hammerfists before the referee waved it off. Asu Almabayev continued building his case as a flyweight contender to watch, locking up a rare Suloev stretch submission over Charles Johnson in round three after a back-and-forth grappling battle. Ikram Aliskerov used length and top control to grind out a clean decision over fellow prospect Brunno Ferreira, and Abus Magomedov opened the main card in style, hurting and choking out Michal Oleksiejczuk with a first-round guillotine.
The undercard delivered just as many fireworks. Nine of the thirteen fights on the entire card ended before the judges got involved, including an eight-second knockout from Turkish light heavyweight prospect Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev, who improved to a perfect 10-0 with every win coming by finish. Prelims closer Farman Hasanov made an impressive promotional debut in front of his home fans, grinding out a takedown and a difficult decision win over Eric Nolan. Check out some of the video highlights and post-press conference below.
UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres, Complete Results
Main Card
Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev def. Manuel Torres by KO/TKO (spinning wheel kick, punches), Round 2, 0:15
Middleweight: Shara Magomedov def. Michel Pereira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Matheus Camilo def. Nazim Sadykhov by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:31
Flyweight: Asu Almabayev def. Charles Johnson by submission (Suloev stretch), Round 3, 3:33
Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov def. Brunno Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Abus Magomedov def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:25
Preliminary Card
Welterweight: Farman Hasanov def. Eric Nolan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight: Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Julius Walker by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:08
Middleweight: Nursulton Ruziboev def. Andrey Pulyaev by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:58
Featherweight: Kaan Ofli def. Javier Reyes by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 4:16
Welterweight: Daniil Donchenko def. Theodor Berggren by TKO (head kick, punches), Round 2, 1:35
Bantamweight: Jean Matsumoto def. Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) 13. Welterweight: Tahir Abdullayev def. Jefferson Nascimento by TKO (punches), Round 3, 4:28
Fiziev’s win puts him right back in the lightweight mix, and if he gets his wish, a BMF title fight against former champion Charles Oliveira would be a fitting next step for a fighter who just proved he’s far from finished.
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