Fiziev vs. Torres live results, round-by-round coverage
It’s time for MMA action out of Azerbaijan!
Rafael Fiziev, the hometown hero who competed in Azerbaijan’s first-ever UFC card, headlines the promotion’s return to the capital of Baku. Opposite Fiziev in the octagon is Manuel Torres, a versatile Muay Thai fighter out of Tijuana, Mexico.
Both fighters are looking to make waves in the UFC’s lightweight division. But, for Fiziev, something else is at stake: He has proudly stated that he “cannot lose” in front of his home crowd.
Born to an Azerbaijani father and Russian mother, raised in Kyrgyzstan, polished in Thailand, Fiziev fights for flag and country. Believe it.
Keep refreshing this page for live results and round-by-round coverage of the co-main and main event.
Final Thoughts
In the post-fight interview, Fiziev admitted that he couldn’t see anything in his left eye after Round 1 came to a close. Such was the impact of that last-second jab by Torres, whom Ataman sincerely thanked and called a “warrior” as they shook hands.
Fiziev said that he was seeing double because of his eye issues. No matter, as he threw that spinning kick that sealed El Loco’s fate in this main event.
When Michael Bisping asked him what he wanted to do next, Fiziev excitedly yelled, “BMF BELT!!!”
I don’t need to explain that further. For now, we’ll let the proud representative of Azerbaijan cry tears of joy, perhaps even heal that troubled eye, before he sets his sight on his next target.
That’s a wrap for ALL-STAR’s live coverage of Fiziev vs. Torres. Don’t forget: In a couple of weeks, a blockbuster UFC main event awaits us. I hear it’s a Notorious one.
One Word: Devastation
Did Fiziev sense that he was a bit behind in Round 1? If he did, the Azerbaijani fighter made sure that he’d take the outcome of this fight into his own hands. Sensational finish by Ataman!
Fiziev vs. Torres: Round 2
Fiziev drops Torres with a spinning kick! Now he knocks down Torres again with a vicious right hook!! IT’S ALL OVER. Fiziev puts it away in the opening moments of Round 2. WOW.
Fiziev vs. Torres: Round 1
Fiziev is introduced as “fighting out of Baku, Azerbaijan, by way of Phuket, Thailand.” That’s a shoutout to two countries that are home to him. Fiziev throws a loaded right hand at the very start of Round 1. Torres tries to keep Fiziev at bay with some combinations of his own. Fiziev, though, closes the gap, and takes down Torres. Pressing El Loco against the cage, Fiziev tries to land some blows. As he tries to create distance, Torres appears to have kicked Fiziev somewhere inappropriate. Referee Marc Goddard separates them, then resumes the fight a moment later. Now, Fiziev has to cut the distance again. Wow, those legs of Torres have range! Torres keeps throwing that jab to make sure that Fiziev doesn’t get inside. El Loco lands a knee on Fiziev’s body with under two minutes left. Torres throws a front kick, but Fiziev catches his leg! Both fighters stand up promptly after a brief moment in which Torres had Fiziev’s leg tangled. One last jab from Torres breaks through Fiziev’s defense right before the buzzer. That’ll be 10-9 for Torres.
The Ringwalks for the Main Event Are Here
I think I heard the word palengke in Manuel “El Loco” Torres’ entrance music, followed by the sound of a cock crowing. If I wasn’t sitting down typing this round-by-round coverage, I’d be doing a jig. The stats show that Torres has the “highest knockdown rate among active UFC fighters.” Nine of his 20 wins, by the way, have come by way of KO.
Now, solemn choral music is playing Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev to the octagon. The crowd is pumped up, and so is the hometown hero. As Fiziev enters the combat zone, he gives a double high-five to Torres. The Mexican, by the way, will have a two-inch reach advantage in this fight.
The Winner of Your Co-Main…
Shara Magomedov wins by unanimous decision, 29-28. From the looks of it, the judges didn’t give him too much grief over those infractions in Round 1. I had it at a 28-28 draw, but again, that lasting impression in Round 3 was crucial for Bullet’s win here.
In the post-fight interview, Magomedov thanks the crowd in Baku for their support. “The Pirate will be back!” he said.
It All Went Downhill From Here
The highlight of the co-main was Pereira dropping Magomedov in the first minute of Round 1. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he had no serious follow-up for this knockdown the rest of the way.
Co-Main: Magomedov vs. Pereira, Round 3
Pereira’s corner is telling him that they lost that round. It all comes down to this. The stats show that Magomedov is leading in significant strikes after two rounds. One minute into Round 3, all they’ve done is exchange leg kicks. Now Pereira threw a 1-2 but missed. Pereira goes for a takedown, but Bullet parries that well. As they get up, Magomedov accidentally pokes Pereira in the eye. So now we have to go to a timeout, and now this fight becomes even more anticlimactic. Action resumes at the 2:35 mark. Now they’re throwing hands, perking up the audience for a brief moment. Nice right from Pereira, followed by front kicks. Bullet is really trying to go for that spinning fist finish. He blocks another Pereira takedown attempt, and now they’re up against the cage with less than a minute left. Bullet lands a knee to the body to knock himself loose. Pereira crumples to the ground as he tries to get away from Magomedov. That final flurry might have sealed the deal for the Russian. I give it 10-9 to Magomedov.
Co-Main: Magomedov vs. Pereira, Round 2
Herb Dean is reminding Magomedov’s corner about the hair pulls. Do not mess with this ref. Less eventful round, but Magomedov is trying to stay in this fight with some leg kicks. Not sure if Pereira’s winded or taking too cautious of an approach. Magomedov throws a nice rear leg kick halfway through the round. Bullet attempts a spinning fist, but misses. Analyst Din Thomas is commenting that Pereira has trouble “managing his energy,” and that’s probably the case here. Good knee from Bullet to make Pereira second-guess himself more. In the last 30 seconds, Magomedov tries a leaping kick. Frankly, that was a boring round. That’s 10-9 for Bullet.
Co-Main: Magomedov vs. Pereira, Round 1
Pereira opens things up with a jab attempt. Magomedov counters with leg kicks. A strong right from Pereira drops Magomedov! Bullet is trying to ward off Pereira while on his back, but the Brazilian is still throwing fists. Pereira is trying to gain control of Bullet on the ground, but Magomedov stays active. Bullet grabbed Pereira’s hair out of desperation, and referee Herb Dean admonished him for it. They’re now back in the same position, and Bullet is trying to land those elbows while in full guard. Now it’s Pereira trying to slice Bullet with those elbows. Now Pereira has Magomedov’s back, trying to lock in that rear naked choke. Bullet reverses it, and now he’s on top. The commentators are saying that this might be a 10-8 round, so that’s what we’ll go with. Pereira takes Round 1.
The Ringwalks for the Co-Main Are Here
Mixed reaction for Pereira as he makes his way to the octagon. The commentators are noting how he’s more subdued than usual. Apparently, this guy is fond of tiring himself out during ringwalks. Smart move to just put one foot after another, though he did dap up some fans.
Shara “Bullet” Magomedov, who was born in Dagestan, Russia, gets a nice ovation as he prepares to remove his shirt outside the octagon. He looks absolutely locked in. The stats show that he has the “highest significant strike accuracy among active UFC fighters.” Fascinating.
Controversial Finish?
At the 3:33 mark of Round 1, Camilo caught Sadykhov with a right cross on the jaw. This caused Sadykhov to crumple to the ground, and though he had his arms up in defense, the referee called off the fight as Camilo threw one hammer fist after another.
Was Sadykhov intelligently defending himself? The commentators pointed out that it would have been a different story if he tried to grab at Camilo’s limbs on the ground. Too bad for the home crowd, who was firmly behind Sadykhov (another Azerbaijani fighter).
Fiziev vs. Torres: Main Card Results
The crowd inside Baku’s National Gymnastics Arena has been electric thus far, and for good reason. Leading up to the co-main, here are the results of the main card:
Lightweight
Matheus Camilo def. Nazim Sadykhov by TKO (Round 1)
Flyweight
Asu Almabayev def. Charles Johnson by Suloev stretch (Round 3)
Middleweight
Ikram Aliskerov def. Brunno Ferreira by unanimous decision
Middleweight
Abus Magomedov def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by guillotine choke (Round 1)
Quick note on the Azerbaijani crowd: Their response to fighters who aren’t from the Eastern Europe/Central Asia region is unnerving. For instance, when American fighter Charles Johnson was introduced by Bruce Buffer, he wasn’t greeted with a deafening chorus of boos. Instead, the crowd went into an almost dead silent state. As if everyone inside the arena had vanished. That’s…creepy.
This Guy Is Pumped
If we all had the enthusiasm to get out of bed every morning in the same way that Michel Pereira showed up for the weigh-in…
His opponent in the co-main, Shara Magomedov, tried to grab him by the scruff of the neck during the weigh-in. Sure. Save it for the octagon, boys.
Fiziev vs. Torres: Weigh-in Results
Both Fiziev and Torres made weight for their UFC Fight Night main event. They came in at an identical weight of 156 pounds.
Wait a minute, I hear you say. Isn’t 155 pounds the limit for lightweight in the UFC? Well, as per UFC.com, fighters are allowed to go up to 156 pounds for non-title lightweight bouts. So all good.
As for the competitors in the co-main, they made weight as well. 186 pounds is the ceiling for this middleweight non-title fight, and both Shara Magomedov (186 pounds) and Michel Pereira (185.5 pounds) were in the clear.
