Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Baku mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., June 27, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. UFC Baku features a lightweight main event between Top 15 contenders Rafael Fiziev and Manuel Torres, a five-round showdown with possible title implications for late 2026 and beyond.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the middleweight collision between Shara Magomedov and Michel Pereira, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Baku main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Fiziev vs. Torres” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Baku live results for this weekend’s fight card in Azerbaijan click here.
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155 lbs.: Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres
Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev
Record: 13-5 | Age: 33 | Betting line: -115
Wins: 8 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’8” | Reach: 71” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.71 | Striking accuracy: 52%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.84 | Striking Defense: 49%
Takedown Average: 0.83 (66% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 90%
Current Ranking: No. 11 | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Mauricio Ruffy
Manuel “El Loco” Torres
Record: 17-3 | Age: 31 | Betting line: -105
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 7 SUB, 1 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 5’10“ | Reach: 73” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 7.29 | Striking accuracy: 59%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.08 | Striking Defense: 54%
Takedown Average: 1.72 (66% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 90%
Current Ranking: No. 15 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Grant Dawson
There was a time in the not too distant past when Rafael Fiziev was ranked No. 6 in the lightweight division and coming off a six-fight win streak with three knockouts, which includes his destruction of Renato Moicano and former 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos. These days, Fiziev isn’t even ranked in the Top 15 (blame Meta AI), having lost four of his last five. Of particular concern was how easily he was dispatched by lightweight dynamo Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 back in January. Fiziev has always been one of the most exciting fighters in the division, racking up seven post-fight performance bonuses with three “Fight of the Night” honors (two of which came in his wars against current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje). Fiziev has a competent ground game but barely uses it, preferring to stand and bang until someone drops. I don’t expect him to deviate from that gameplan this weekend in Baku.
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“I’m very happy for [Gaethje],” Fiziev told MMA Junkie. “He motivated me with this fight so much. Honestly, I think if he’s going to jump into my body one time and feel what I feel after his fight, after that, he’s going to hug me and say, ‘Bro, thank you for this. Thank you for that, you know, to be happy for me like that because I’m really happy for his win.’ He’s really motivated me with that win and I’m happy because I fought him twice, and the way he finished the fight. Yeah that’s amazing. It’s making me believe more in my skills. It’s making me believe in my power more, and like I said, he motivated me a lot with that.”
Gaethje upset Ilia Topuria to win the lightweight title at UFC White House.
“[Manuel Torres is] a strong guy,” Fiziev added. “He has bombs on his hands. But I’m also a strong guy. I’m growing in a gym from 11 years old. I’m in a gym from 11 years old. I fight every month, every week sometimes. I’m also doing this all my life. I really enjoy that, and I really love that. Yeah, I see he finishes in the first round. He likes to stay relaxed in the fight, and sometimes he’s explosive, and every time he touches the face, his opponents have a problem with that. But this MMA, sometimes we think everything is good, but everything is not good. I’m ready for everything. And everything that he prepared for me, I’m ready for that. And I believe for my power, 100 percent.”
Manuel Torres is a product of Dana White’s “Contender Series” from Oct. 2021, where he ran through Kolton Englund in the very first round. As expected, that led to an immediate UFC contract and Torres made good on the investment, rattling off three straight wins with three first-round finishes. Then came his first setback, courtesy of Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 306, but Torres was able to bounce right back with consecutive finishes over Drew Dober and Grant Dawson, two rough-and-tumble veterans at 155 pounds. The only knock against Torres is that he’s yet to fight anyone ranked in the division Top 10 whereas Fiziev has battled a who’s-who of lightweight assassins. In addition, Torres flunked the first big test he had, then went back to beating up the B-squad en route to another opportunity against an established name. We don’t yet know if Fiziev is washed or was simply outgunned against better competition. Losing to Gaethje and Ruffy is nothing to be ashamed of and his Mateusz loss came by way of knee injury.
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“I don’t know how that happened, but ever since I was a little kid, I just wanted to finish the fights; I wanted to get out of there and to knock my opponent out,” Torres told UFC.com. “That’s how things have happened, and I’ve always thought that’s how you become the best in the world, and that’s what I want to do — I want to be the best in this. I want to be feared. I want to be the Mike Tyson that people fear, and I have the mentality that I’m gonna be the best in the world, and I’m gonna beat them all. I’m very proud and very happy with the work that was done, how it’s paid off, because I get to be in the rankings. I’m the first Mexican to get into the (lightweight) rankings, to be in the Top 15. That’s history — no one can take that away from you. The accomplishments, these achievements are things no one can take.”
“I was very happy with the news, with the name, with the spot — fighting in the main event, in his home, going to the other side of the world,” Torres explained. “I said, ‘Okay! You can count on me!’ I’m ready for this fight. I thought about this, about what this means, and it’s that I will be one step closer to going for the title. God-willing, if that’s what’s supposed to happen, a nice win on Saturday puts me closer to a title shot. I’d like to see the result of Paddy Pimblett and (Benoît Saint Denis). Maybe the winner of that fight, I fight one of them towards the end of the year; maybe November, December. Let’s see what happens, but I would really love that opportunity. Let’s see if that comes true.”
Fiziev looks to be fading based on his recent struggles but I attribute that more to strength of schedule (and untimely knee injury) than deteriorating skills. At the same time, I don’t think he’s improved much over the years, so the technical kickboxer we saw at the beginning of his UFC run is the same “Ataman” we can expect in Baku. The bigger question marks surround Torres, who has not been out of the first round in nearly eight years. I think he rattles Fiziev early but misses the opportunity to finish, then runs out of gas and gets put away late.
Prediction: Fiziev def. Torres by technical knockout
185 lbs.: Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira
Shara “Bullet” Magomedov
Record: 16-1 | Age: 32 | Betting line: -360
Wins: 12 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 6’2“ | Reach: 73” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.93 | Striking accuracy: 62%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.85 | Striking Defense: 43%
Takedown Average: 0.00 (0% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 71%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault
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Michel “Demolidor” Pereira
Record: 32-14, 2 NC | Age: 32 | Betting line: +285
Wins: 11 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 12 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 9 DEC, 1 DQ
Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 73” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.46 | Striking accuracy: 51%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.40 | Striking Defense: 51%
Takedown Average: 1.21 (56% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 75%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Split decision win over Zachary Reese
Shara Magomedov has one eye and will probably never pass stateside medical exams which is why he only competes on overseas cards. Fortunately for his career, the promotion makes multiple stops in UAE and the surrounding areas, including Baku, so “Bullet” will never be short on work. Unlike most combatants from the Dagestan region, Magomedov doesn’t focus on wrestling or takedowns, preferring to stand and bang. In fact, he’s only shot for one takedown (unsuccessfully) in his UFC career and that came in his last fight against Marc-Andre Barriault, a bout “Bullet” won by unanimous decision. Magomedov is a talented kickboxer with a good jab and a dizzying array of kicks. While he’s not immune to the takedown, he doesn’t usually stay grounded for very long and his only career loss came in a close standup battle opposite fellow striking whiz Michael Page. At 32, don’t expect to see much different from Magomedov but if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
“I’ve wanted to fight Pereira for a long time, even back when he had won eight in a row,” Magomedov told UFC.com. “But I’m happy that it will happen in Baku, because it’s a very close location to Dagestan. I will show what Kafkas is – the spirit of Kafkas. The fight will be like a fire, and the one who wants to win the most will win. I don’t think that I need to expect something special. He showed all his skills in his previous fights, (and it’s) the same from me.”
“This will be the third time that I’m in the co-main event, and for the next fight, I want to be in a main event,” Magomedov continued. “I want a really big name, an opponent who is interesting for the fans and, of course, I am open to revenge with ‘Venom.’ I want to fight maybe in Belgrade on August 1, but generally, I want to say that I want to show what Kafkas is, and my pirate ship is ready to travel to any location in the world.”
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Michel Pereira was a super fun, violent welterweight who racked up multiple post-fight performance bonuses. After repeated weight cutting struggles forced him to move up to middleweight, it seemed as though “Demolidor” was going to continue his winning ways — right up until Anthony Hernandez brutalized him en route to a fifth-round technical knockout finish. That loss seemed to break the Brazilian or at least demoralize him, as Pereira went on to lose his next two fights and barely squeaked past Zachary Reese earlier this year in Houston. The wild, Tasmanian Devil-style of offense has seemed to fade, as did his cardio and once-durable chin. What’s left is a puffed up welterweight who’s hesitant to pull the trigger, leaving him a sitting duck for a sharpshooter like Magomedov. And despite his recent woes, it’s important to note that Pereira has 14 career losses, so he’s always been easy to exploit against the right opponent.
“I don’t think he’s that different from other fighters,” Pereira said at the UFC Baku media day. “I don’t see him as a different or unorthodox type of fighter. He does not do the things that I do, whether it’s a back flip or types of strikes you’ve never seen before. I think when he’s fighting, he’s a very conventional fighter. I don’t think [his layoff] plays a part, because if he actually had a good camp to face me, we’ll all be prepared to put on a great show. So it doesn’t matter that he hasn’t fought in a while. He made comments out of nowhere about [me] and took the opportunity to get clout out of that. So, I don’t really give a damn what he says, he doesn’t look to be a good person. It makes me even more motivated to go out there and beat him up.”
The Pereira of yesteryear would be a real problem for Magomedov and use a combination of wrestling and unorthodox strikes to confuse and batter the bewildered “Bullet.” Sadly, that version of “Demolidor” no longer exists and if he does, he’s been on vacation these last couple of fights.
Prediction: Magomedov def. Pereira by unanimous decision
Be sure to check out the rest of the UFC Baku main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
