UFC Fight Night Fiziev vs. Torres Live Updates, Results and Highlights

It's been a good night for the Azerbaijani home team so far, as local heroes Tahir Abdullayev and Farman Hasanov both won their fights on the undercard. In our next main card fight, Nazim Sadykhov will look to make it 3-0 for the country at the expense of Brazil's Matheus Camilo. 

Sadykhov got off to a hot start in the Octagon, going 4-0-1 in his first five fights. However, his last fight was a tough one, as he suffered a knockout loss at the hands of Fares Ziam.

He'll undoubtedly be eager to put that loss behind him in style, particularly with Baku crowd cheering him on outside the cage. Camilo, who has gone 1-1 since joining the Octagon, will of course have other ideas. 

As far as the odds are concerned, this is a close one. Let's see who can make the most of the opportunity. 

It's been a good couple of weeks for submissions in the UFC.

Last week, we saw Murtazali Magomedov wrap up an ultra-rare Scottish twister. This week, we got another super rare submission courtesy of Kazakhstan's Asu Almabayev, who folded a tough Charles Johnson in half with a Suloev Stretch in round three of their flyweight contest.

This was a massive win for the Kazakh—and not just because he's the first fighter from his country to beat Johnson after two others failed to do so. The victory put him on a three-fight win streak, and the highlight-reel nature of it makes it far more valuable than a decision, or even a more typical submission win.

There's quite a queue forming for a crack at flyweight champ Joshua Van, and Almabayev certainly won't be next—especially since he recently lost to Manel Kape—but he is getting very close.

Don't be surprised if he's fighting for the belt sometime in the next year or two.

Charles Johnson has scored some amazing wins in the Octagon, notably knocking out reigning flyweight champ Joshua Van and top contender Lone'er Kavanagh. That said, a handful of ill-timed loses have kept him from reaching the top of the division. He'll once again look to change that in Baku, when he takes on Kazakhstan's Asu Almabayev.

It's an important fight for Almabayev too. He's now two fights removed from a tough loss to Manel Kape, and once again nearing the top of the weight class. If he can beat Johnson, the top-5 could be next.

Flyweights rarely fail to entertain. Let's hope this fight is no exception. Here we go.

In the end, Brunno Ferreira had almost nothing for Ikram Aliskerov. While the Brazilian deserves some credit for surviving three rounds with the Russian, he was beaten from pillar to post—both out-struck on the feet, and thrashed on the ground.

The unanimous decision win was very important for Aliskerov, who had not fought since he beat "The Iron Turtle" Park Jun-yong last year. With the victory, he's now on a three-fight streak, and most likely on track for a fight with a top-15 opponent. That said, a finish definitely would have served him much better—even if he was utterly dominant in the fight.

The main card will continue with another middleweight fight, as Russia's Ikram Aliskerov battles Brazil's Brunno Ferreira. Like Magomedov and Oleksiejczuk before them, both guy have a ton of experience against very high level fighters, so we can expect plenty of veteran technique and trap-setting in this one.

It's an important fight for both men. Ferreira hasn't fought since he was brutally knocked out by Gregory Rodrigues earlier this year, and surely wants to put that ugly memory behind him. Aliskerov, on the other hand, has won two straight, and is obviously keen to mount another run toward the top-15, after his last attempt to crack the rankings was derailed by Robert Whittaker.

Ferreira is walking out now, so let's get into it.

"Abus Magomedov has never looked better in the Octagon than he did tonight," commentator John Gooden said as the Russian-born German climbed off his vanquished opponent.

He wasn't exaggerating.

With just over a minute remaining in the first round, Magomedov stung Michal Oleksiejczuk with a sneaky elbow to the forehead. The beautifully-timed strike put the Pole on wobbly legs, and Magomedov didn't let him recover. After blasting him with a few punches, he chased him to the ground, and locked up a guillotine choke that immediately looked inescapable. The tap came moments later.

The win separates Magomedov from a loss to Joe Pyfer, and derails a three-fight streak for Oleksiejczuk. Given how impressive the performance was, we can expect the German to get a bigger name next time out.

He really looked incredible. Hats off.

With the prelims concluded, it's time to move onto the main card.

We'll get started in the middleweight division, as Octagon mainstays Abus Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk in a Germany vs. Poland matchup. Both guys have tons of experience against world class fighters, having battled the likes of Sean Strickland, Khalil Rountree Jr., and Caio Borralho collectively. Magomedov will be looking to bounce back from a submission loss to surging contender Joe Pyfer, while Oleksiejczuk has quietly won three straight.

This is a solid bit of matchmaking, and a nice way to kick off the main card. The fighters are almost ready to walk out, so let's get to it.

Farman Hasanov couldn't pull of a finish for his Azerbaijani fans in Baku, but he was utterly dominant in his prelim fight with Eric Nolan. He landed takedowns in every round, and racked up close to 10 minutes of control time in the process. He definitely seemed to fatigue as the fight went on, but he dug deep, and ultimately walked away with a clear-cut unanimous decision.

In victory, he's now 6-0 overall. He's got a long way to go before he gets the chance to mix it up with the welterweight elite, but he's clearly got the wrestling ability to trouble many fighters in the division.

The final fight of the prelims will be contested at welterweight, as Azerbaijan's own Farman Hasanov takes on American Eric Nolan.

Hasanov will be making his Octagon debut with a 5-0 pro record, and the hopes and expectations of the Azerbaijani crowd in his hands. He's slightly favored to beat the more experienced Nolan (8-4), but not by much.

Let's see how this shakes out, then get into the main card.

We've already covered how good Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev looked in his first nine fights. Amazingly, his return to action in Baku was arguably the best performance of his career so far, as he floored Julius Walker with the first punch he threw—a left hook just a few seconds into the first-round. A few follow-up strikes on the ground was all it took to seal the deal. The victory clocks as the seventh fastest in UFC history, and the second fastest in the light heavyweight division—quite a feather in the young "Hunter's" cap.

Now 10-0 overall, it's time to take away Yakhyaev's training wheels. He may not get a ranked opponent next, but if he doesn't, he needs somebody just outside the top-15. Somebody credible, with lots of experience against top opposition.

This guy could very easily become a champion—and possibly quite soon.

Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev is one of the best prospects in the light heavyweight division, which is always desperate for new blood. The Turkish "Hunter" is 9-0 overall, 2-0 in the UFC, and has finished all of his fights—most of them early in the first round. And he's still just 25! Despite all that, he has inexplicably been matched up with Julis Walker, who is just 1-2 in the UFC, and probably fighting for his spot on the roster.

There's no way around it: This matchup is a head-scratcher, and it's not clear what the matchmakers were thinking when they booked it.

Let's see if Walker can prove us all wrong, and show that this is not the mismatch it looks like.

Nursulton Ruziboev couldn't have looked better in his long-awaited return to the Octagon. After over 400 days away—in what happened to be his 50th pro fight—the towering Uzbek veteran quickly threw Andrey Pulyaev to the canvas, locked in a rear-naked choke, and put him right to sleep.

"Man, he is out," commentator Paul Felder said as Pulyaev gradually regained consciousness. He was not exaggerating.

Ruziboev has now won three straight fights since a decision defeat against ranked welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley. You can never be sure what the UFC matchmakers are planning, but a ranked middleweight opponent is probably coming up soon for him.

Uzbekistan's Nursulton Ruziboev has proven himself as a fighter to watch in the UFC middleweight division. Unfortunately, he's been out of action since May of last year.

The good news is that he'll get back to action in Baku, and his return is up next. He'll be taking on Russia's Andrey Pulyaev, who will be looking to rebound from a tough decision loss to red-hot prospect Ateba Gautier last time out.

Experience is definitely on Ruziboev's side—he's fought over three times more than his opponent—but who knows how this one will go. Let's get to it.

Despite a huge reach disadvantage, Kaan Ofli proved to be too crafty for Javier Reyes. Mid-way through the first round, the Turkish-Australian prospect sent his foe crashing to the canvas with a punch. He then followed him to the mat, and after a brief struggle, tapped him out with an arm-triangle choke. It was a beautiful performance—perhaps the best of the card so far.

"I knew I had all the tools to take this guy out," he said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.

He definitely proved that.

In victory, Ofli has now won three-straight, and put more distance between himself and his last loss, a 2025 decision setback against Muhammad Naimov. That's some solid momentum, so he can expect a tough test next time out.

Up next, we've got a featherweight fight between Kaan Ofli from Turkey, and Colombia's Javier Reyes, who made a long trip from Arizona to be in Baku.

Ofli will be looking to build on the momentum of back-to-back wins over Ricardo Ramos and Yizha. Reyes, a Contender Series graduate, will be looking to follow up on an impressive stoppage of Douglas Silva de Andrade in his UFC debut.

Ofli is about to walk to the cage, so we'll hand it over to Bruce Buffer.

Daniil Donchenko is still undefeated in the UFC. The Ukrainian welterweight prospect picked up his third-straight Octagon win in Baku, gradually breaking down Theodor Berggren with leg kicks and body shots, and finally felling him with a head kick and swarm of punches in round two.

This guy is a great prospect. Time will tell how far he can get in the crowded welterweight division, but he's definitely got the skills and power to make some waves.

If he gets his way, his next fight will be in Paris in September. Hopefully, he gets his wish, because it would be great to see more of him soon.

For the third fight of the night, we'll had back to the welterweight division. In one corner, we've got Ukraine's Daniil Donchenko. In the other is Theodor Berggren from Sweden.

Donchenko, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter, will be looking to improve his UFC record to 3-0. Berggren, meanwhile, will be making his UFC debut following a run in England's Cage Warriors and Sweden's Fight Club Rush.

While it didn't produce a finish, the second bout of the night was much better than the first, as Jean Matsumoto defeated Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision in a thrilling three-rounder that showcased many different aspects of the sport. 

Both men had big moments in the fight—Almakhan with his power striking, and Matsumoto with takedowns and some nice striking sequences himself. By the time round three was up, it was clear we had a very close fight on our hands, but the judges ultimately sided with the Brazilian. 

With the win, he's now 4-2 in the UFC. The defeated Kazakh, meanwhile, falls to a tough 1-3 in the Octagon. 

For the second bout of the night, we'll head to the bantamweight division, where Kazakhstan's Bekzat Almakhan will take on Brazil's Jean Matsumoto. Matsumoto, who sports a strong 17-2 record, will be looking to rebound from a split decision loss to the unbeaten Farid Basharat. Almakhan, who sits at 12-3, will look to distance himself from a decision loss to Aleksandre Topuria—Ilia Topuria's big brother.

This one has potential. Let's see how it goes.

Anyone struggling to stay awake for these morning fights likely wasn't helped by the opening bout of the card, which saw Tahir Abdullayev defeat Jefferson Nascimento by third-round TKO in a definite snoozer. 

The two welterweights did almost nothing in rounds one and two, leaving the judges with very little to work with. Thankfully, Abdullayev came alive in round three, but his TKO win was the subject of immediate controversy, as it was clearly on the early side. 

It wasn't the worst fight we've ever seen, but between the lack of action and the dubious stoppage, it sure wasn't a great one either. Hopefully, the action picks up a bit from here.

The action will begin in the welterweight division, as hometown hero Tahir Abdullayev takes on Jefferson Nascimento of Brazil. Both men will be making their Octagon debuts with great records. Abdullayev is 21-3 overall, and riding four straight wins—all finishes, and all before the third round. Nascimento, a former LFA champion with two title defenses to his credit, is undefeated at 13-0, with a real knack for finishes himself. This should be a good one—though it may not be a long one. 

It's almost time. Let's get to it.