UFC Baku results: Rafael Fiziev KOs Manuel Torres in spectacular fashion for emotional homecoming win

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UFC Baku results: Rafael Fiziev KOs Manuel Torres in spectacular fashion for emotional homecoming win

Rafael Fiziev made it two wins in as many UFC outings in Baku, Azerbaijan, when a stunning spinning back kick spelled the beginning of the end for the Mexican knockout artist Manuel Torres in the lightweight main event of UFC Baku.

Fiziev (14-5) looked as though he’d been shot out of a canon at the beginning of the second round, bearing down on his opponent before unleashing the spellbinding technique. Although Torres (17-4) attempted to get back to his feet, Fiziev swarmed him, leaving referee Marc Goddard no choice but to stop the action.

In the Octagon, following the contest, Fiziev called for a BMF title shot and admitted that he had double vision from punches that Torres landed in the first round when he spun into the fight-ending sequence.

“Bro, I couldn’t see anything in my left eye,” said Fiziev, a 33-year-old contender with Azerbaijani roots who found himself in dire need of a win Saturday after dropping four of his prior five UFC outings.

“When I closed my left eye, I could see everything. … I just threw a spinning back kick and you know what happened now.”

In the co-main event, Shara Magomedov (13-1) had to rally after suffering a big knockdown in the first round of his showdown with wild man Michel Pereira (32-15, 2 NC).

Pereira landed a piston right hand that had “Bullet” in big trouble. The Brazilian followed up with a number of heavy ground-and-pound punches before referee Herb Dean stopped the action to warn the Russian not to pull Pereira’s hair.

The second and third rounds were much more tentative affairs, but Magomedov managed to land kicks with more volume as Pereira largely became a passenger. In the final exchanges of the third, “Bullet” landed a snappy kick to the body that drew a reaction from Pereira.

All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of the Russian, but many fans will be disappointed with what the matchup produced compared to what it was forecast to deliver on paper.

Earlier on the main card, Matheus Camilo (11-3) silenced the Baku crowd with a massive upset win over Nazim Sadykhov (11-3-1).

Sadykov had his home crowd eating out of the palm of his hand as he entered the Octagon, but found himself protesting an early stoppage after a right hand from the Brazilian sent him to the canvas. The referee stepped in after Camilo landed four hammerfists to his fallen foe. With Sadykov turtling up during the exchange, the referee will likely feel his decision was justified.

Check out complete UFC Baku: Fiziev vs. Torres results and highlights below, including Uncrowned’s round-by-round play-by-play for the entire main card.

Main card

Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev def. Manuel Torres via TKO (wheel kick and punches) at 0:15 of R2 | Watch finish

Middleweight: Sharabutdin Magomedov def. Michel Pereira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Lightweight: Matheus Camilo def. Nazim Sadykhov via TKO (punches) at 1:31 of R1 | Watch finish

Flyweight: Asu Almabayev def. Charles Johnson via submission (Suloev stretch) at 3:33 of R3 | Watch finish

Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov def. Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Middleweight: Abusupiyan Magomedov def. Michał Oleksiejczuk via submission (guillotine) at 3:29 of R1 | Watch finish

Preliminary card

Welterweight: Farman Hasanov def. Eric Nolan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Light Heavyweight: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Julius Walker via KO (punches) at 0:08 of R1 | Watch finish

Middleweight: Nursulton Ruziboev def. Andrey Pulyaev via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:58 of R1 | Watch finish

Featherweight: Kaan Ofli def. Javier Reyes via submission (arm triangle) at 4:16 of R1 | Watch finish

Welterweight: Daniil Donchenko def. Theodor Berggren via TKO (head kick and punches) at 1:35 of R2 | Watch finish

Bantamweight: Jean Matsumoto def. Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29)

Welterweight: Tahir Abdullayev def. Jefferson Nascimento via TKO (strikes) at 4:28 of R3 | Watch finish

Live coverage is over72 updates

Sat, June 27, 2026 at 12:05 PM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM PDT
Petesy Carroll

Fiziev sent Torres down with a spinning wheel kick. Torres attempted to get back to his feet but Fiziev stayed on him until referee Marc Goddard waved the fight off.
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:58 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

A Fiziev right hand rocketed through Torres guard in the first exchange, but it did little to deter Torres from the exchanges. A minute into the first, Fiziev took Torres down, but he quickly got back to his feet before a low shot to the home fighter brought a pause to the action.

Torres landed two big rights of his own on the restart. Another Fiziev take down came in the final minute, but he did little with the position. Torres may have stole the round with a stiff jab in the final seconds, but it was very close.

10-9 Torres
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:48 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

I feel bad for my Baku brethren. Shara vs. Pereira was a bit of a stinker. They also suffered the blow of having Sadykhov lose earlier in the night. Fiziev could send them home happy, but I fancy Torres in this one, to be honest.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – JUNE 27: Rafael Fiziev of Kazakstan has his hands wrapped prior to his fight during the UFC Fight Night event at National Gymnastics Arena on June 27, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)

(Mike Roach via Getty Images)
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:38 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:34 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:32 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

The first two minutes of the third was largely a kicking battle, with neither fighter making a big statement. Shara eventually stuffed a Pereira takedown, and accidentally poked the Brazilian as they were getting back to their feet.

After the restart, Shara became far more dynamic with his shot selection. Entering the final minute, Pereira tried to take the Russian down. In the final ten seconds, Shara landed a sharp body kick that drew a big reaction from the Brazilian.

29-28 Magomedov
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:24 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

Shara did a better job of using his weapons in the second, showcasing his kicking arsenal after Pereira made another attempt to blitz forward with a big shot.

After his success in the first round, Pereira offered relatively nothing in comparison. Shara took the round with the sheer number of kicks that he landed, but didn’t put the same stamp on the round that Pereira did with the first.

19-19
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:17 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

A big right hand sent Magomedov down early. Although he looked to be in a very bad situation, he eventually gathered himself by landing up kicks to keep the Brazilian off him. After a brief warning to Shara for hair-pulling, Pereira went right back to work from top position.

Pereira landed consistently from top position throughout the opening five minutes, with a late sweep and some late offence doing little to balance the scorecards for .

10-9 Pereira
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:10 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

Shara Bullet and the wildman Michel Pereira. If at least some portions of this don’t look like a dance battle, I’ll be upset.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Shara Magomedov of Russia and Michel Pereira of Brazil face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at National Gymnastics Arena on June 26, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 11:04 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:57 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

The upset win for Camilo has done a number on the Baku crowd. He conducted his post fight interview to a backdrop of silence. This one is gonna sting for Sadykov.
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:54 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:52 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

Camilo stops the hometown hero early! After a large feeling out process, the Brazilian underdog cracked him with a straight right that dropped Sadykhov. Camilo landed four hammerfists before the referee stepped in. Sadykhov protests the stoppage, but on replay, he didn’t give the referee much to play with.
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:47 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:42 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:38 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

Fresh off his beautiful submission win over Charles Johnson, Almabayev calls out flyweight champ, Joshua Van! Ranked ninth, again, I think this may be a bit optimistic. Very excited to see him work his way up the rankings though.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – JUNE 26: Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at National Gymnastics Arena on June 26, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:35 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:29 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

Johnson may have had his best moment of the fight in the early throes of the third as he locked Alambayev in an inverted triangle. However, as soon as Almabayev escaped, he was right back where he left of, earning positional dominance and imposing his will on the American.

Almabayev eventually took the back, but after failing on a rear-naked choke, he finished the fight with a spectacular Suloev stretch.
Sat, June 27, 2026 at 10:24 AM PDT
Petesy Carroll

After showcasing his grappling in the first, Almabayev put on a striking display for the first two minutes of the second. He may have got a bit too excited though, as he landed a spinning back kick to Johnson’s family jewels.

On the restart, he went upstairs, smashing a wheel kick into a the side of Johnson’s skullet. As Johnson attempted to open up his own striking arsenal, he was taken down and quickly gave up his back. Although he managed to get Almabayev to guard, he was unable to make a big impression on the round.

20-18 Almabayev