Fiziev tapped into one of his most trusted weapons at the right
time.
The Tiger Muay Thai standout held his ground in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, as he cut
down Manuel
Torres with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches in the
second round of their
UFC Fight Night 280 main event on Saturday at the National
Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. Torres (17-4, 5-2 UFC)
checked out 15 seconds into Round 2.
Fiziev (14-5, 8-5 UFC) was the aggressor from the start and tore
into the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate with punishing leg
kicks throughout much of the first round. Torres countered
sporadically and managed to get his counterpart’s attention with a
stiff jab, but he failed to make real headway. Early in the second
round, Fiziev sat down the Entram Gym product with a perfectly
placed wheel kick and dropped him again with a crushing right
cross. Hammerfists followed and sealed Torres’ fate.
SPINNING HEEL KICK INTO GNP 🤯
Rafael Fiziev blows the roof off of #UFCBaku
👏[ LIVE ON @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/3kGbvxosLJ— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
June 27, 2026
Meanwhile, Sharabutdin
Magomedov followed his modus operandi and leaned heavily on
kicks to all levels in a unanimous decision over ex-Serbian Battle
Championship titleholder Michel
Pereira in their three-round middleweight co-headliner. All
three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Magomedov (17-1, 6-1
UFC).
Pereira (32-15, 10-6 UFC) had his chance and missed it. He floored
Magomedov with a straight right in the first round, backed it up
with standing-to-ground punches and settled into full guard, at
which point he bloodied the Russian’s nose with punches and elbows.
However, Pereira once again had issues with his gas tank, and his
output dropped significantly over the final 10 minutes. Magomedov
capitalized, as he attacked the Brazilian’s abdomen and lower
extremities with kicks while keeping himself out of danger.
The 32-year-old Magomedov has notched back-to-back wins since his
February 2025 defeat to Bellator MMA veteran Michael
Page.
Further down the main card, Xtreme Couture’s Matheus
Camilo sprang the upset and dispatched the favored Nazim
Sadykhov with punches in the first round of their lightweight
showcase.
Sadykhov (11-3-1, 4-2-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:31 into Round 1,
losing for the second time in as many outings.
The 25-year-old Camilo (11-3, 2-1 UFC) lulled the Azerbaijan native
into a false sense of security on the feet. He tested the waters
with inside leg kicks, then walked Sadykhov into a crushing
straight right. The Ray Longo disciple folded where he stood and
tried to shield himself in a defensive shell, only to be met with a
series of hammerfists that prompted the stoppage.
Camilo has recorded eight victories across his past nine
appearances.
Elsewhere, former M-1 Global champion Asu
Almabayev took care of Charles
Johnson with a Suloev stretch kneebar in the third round of
their flyweight feature.
Johnson (19-9, 8-7 UFC) waved the white flag of surrender 3:33 into
Round 3, suffering the first submission defeat of his 28-fight
career.
Almabayev (24-3, 7-1 UFC) dominated virtually every second of the
match. He blasted Johnson with low kicks, left hooks to the head
and body, overhand rights and even a few stepping knees. Almabayev
also forced the Fusion X-Cel rep to defend multiple fronts, pairing
completed takedowns with positional advances and the ever-present
threat of the submission. He secured his final takedown in the
third round, maneuvered behind Johnson, isolated the skulleted
American’s left leg and procured the tapout.
The 32-year-old Almabayev will enter his next assignment on the
heels of three consecutive wins.
Deeper into the draw, KHK MMA Team standout Ikram
Aliskerov mixed the arts beautifully in a comprehensive
performance, as he outstruck, outwrestled and outgrappled Brunno
Ferreira to a lopsided unanimous decision in their three-round
middleweight attraction. All three judges turned in 30-27
scorecards for Aliskerov (18-2, 5-1 UFC).
A flummoxed Ferreira (15-4, 6-4 UFC) had no answer for the riddle
with which he was presented. Aliskerov punched in combination,
targeted the body with kicks and unleashed the occasional flying
knee. More importantly, he executed takedowns in all three rounds,
moved to dominant positions and either piled up points with
ground-and-pound or flirted with chokes.
Aliskerov, 33, has rattled off three straight victories.
Finally, former Superior Fighting Championship titleholder Abus
Magomedov disposed of Michel Oleksiejczuk with a guillotine
choke in the first round of their middleweight appetizer.
Oleksiejczuk (22-10, 10-8 UFC) met his end 3:25 into Round 1, his
three-fight winning streak having run its course.
Magomedov (29-7-1, 5-3 UFC) dropped his Polish counterpart to a
knee with a perfectly timed standing elbow, gave chase with
punches, bit down on the guillotine and let his squeeze do the
rest. Oleksiejczuk tapped, then lost consciousness before referee
Jim Perdios could pry the two men apart.
The 35-year-old Magomedov has won four of his past five bouts.
Continue Reading »
UFC Baku Prelims: Nursulton Ruziboev, Kaan Ofli, Daniil Donchenko,
Tahir Abdullayev excel on finish-laden undercard