Fiziev secures a dominant victory over Bahamondes by unanimous decision. Rafael Fiziev delivered an impressive performance as he secured a dominant victory over Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision.
In the co-main event on Saturday night in Baku, Rafael Fiziev stepped into the Octagon with a point to prove and a home crowd behind him. After three tough losses to top-tier lightweights, one to Justin Gaethje at UFC 313, another to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299, and Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 305. Fiziev fought for more than just a win. It’s about redemption. He stepped into the Octagon to prove he still belongs among the division’s elite.
Across him was Ignacio Bahamondes, riding high after wins. The Chilean had put together a solid three-fight win streak, of which one of it is his win over Manuel Torres. The 26-year-old Chilean striker came in confident, all excited, singing along the chorus of a song, aiming to use Fiziev’s name as a stepping stone to bigger opportunities.
The first round started off slow, with both fighters trading leg kicks and taking time to feel each other out. Fiziev edged it slightly by staying active and targeting Bahamondes’ body with smart shots.
In the second round, Bahamondes tried to turn things up by closing the distance and even shot for a takedown, but Fiziev stuffed it with ease and stayed calm under pressure against the cage. He showed off some slick striking defense and continued to land clean shots. As the round went on, Fiziev landed punches on Bahamondes that got the attention of the audience. He scored two takedowns and even dropped Bahamondes with a sharp strike late in the round, clearly taking control of the fight.
With one round left, Bahamondes picked up the pace and started landing more punches. But Fiziev was ready he fired back with strong, clean combos that kept him ahead. Fiziev’s shots had more power and impact, and even though Bahamondes kept trying, he couldn’t quite keep up.
Towards the end, they scrambled on the ground, and Fiziev landed a few heavy shots from the top. Bahamondes did manage to open a cut on Fiziev with an elbow, but by then, it was too late to turn things around.
When the final bell rang, all three judges were in full agreement. Fiziev had clearly done enough, scoring the fight 30-27 across the board. With that, he did not only walk away with a well-earned win but also snapped his three-fight losing streak, finally getting back in the win column.
Another exciting fight on the card was Myktybek Orolbai vs. Musayev, where Orolbai defeats Musayev. Myktybek Orolbai silenced the home crowd at UFC Baku by submitting Tofiq Musayev with a kimura at 4:35 of the first round. Orolbai dominates with early takedowns and secured the finish. He improves to 14-2-1 overall and 3-1 in the UFC.
Main Card
Khalil Rountree Jr. def. Jamahal Hill via unanimous decision
Rafael Fiziev def. Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision
Curtis Blaydes def. Rizvan Kuniev via split decision
Myktybek Orolbai def. Tofiq Musayev via sub (kimura) (R1, 4:35)
Nazim Sadykhov def. Nikolas Motta via second-round KO (4:17)
Muhammad Naimov def. Bogdan Grad via unanimous decision
Preliminaries
Seokhyun Ko def. Oban Elliott via unanimous decision
Jun Yong Park def. Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision
Daria Zhelezniakova def. Melissa Mullins via unanimous decision
Klaudia Sygula def. Irina Alekseeva via unanimous decision
Tagir Ulanbekov def. Azat Maksum via unanimous decision
Mohammed Usman def. Hamdy Abdelwahab via unanimous decision
