UFC Baku ‘Fiziev vs. Torres’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

June 27, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Rafael Fiziev (156) vs. Manuel Torres (156)Sharabutdin Magomedov (186) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5)Matheus Camilo (156) vs. Nazim Sadykhov (156)Asu Almabayev (126) vs. Charles Johnson (125.5)Ikram Aliskerov (186) vs. Brunno Ferreira (185)Abus Magomedov (185.5) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (186)Farman Hasanov (170.5) vs. Eric Nolan (170.5)Julius Walker (206) vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (206)Andrey Pulyaev (186) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (186)Kaan Ofli (146) vs. Javier Reyes (145.5)Theodor Berggren (171) vs. Daniil Donchenko (170.5)Bekzat Almakhan (136) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5)Tahir Abdullayev (170.5) vs. Jefferson Nascimento (171) Sherdog's live UFC Baku coverage will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 280.

Tahir Abdullayev (170.5) vs. Jefferson Nascimento (171)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Abdullaev (-120); Nascimento (+100)

Round 1

Native son Abdullayev looks to get the Baku crowd amped up against fellow debutant Nascimento in this welterweight matchup. Jim Perdios is the referee. Both men are orthodox to start things off, Nascimento sliding around the outside as Abdullayev stakes out the center of the cage. Nascimento is one stocky dude for this division. Nascimento reaches out with a low kick. Abdullayev answers with one of his own. The crowd gets loud for a moment, but through the first two minutes, this is a tentative affair. Abdullayev starts to come forward, switching stances and backing the Brazilian off, but there is still very little offense happening. Abdullayev touches the chest with a front kick. He is pursuing, but not cutting off the cage, and Nascimento is able to avoid being corralled. Abdullayev stalks forward and eats a jab to the body. Abdullayev, with 90 seconds to go in the round, raises his hands in a what-gives gesture as Nascimento continues to give ground. Abdullayev finally walks his man into the fence and explodes with a flurry of punches that mostly glance, but still represent the best offense of the round by either man. Nascimento clinches and spins Abdullayev into the fence. Perdios breaks them up and it looks like a low blow. He calls time-in and the horn sounds. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Abdullayev
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Nascimento
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Nascimento

Round 2

They slap hands to open Round 2 and go back to work on the feet. Nascimento lands a calf kick. Abdullayev is again coming forward but struggling to close the distance. Nascimento retreats, then plants his feet and runs Abdullayev right onto a counter right. Abdullayev wades into the pocket and connects with an overhand right. Nascimento continues to slide around the outside of the cage, and Abdullayev chases, swinging that overhand right. Perdios stops the action and warns Abdullayev to keep his fingers tucked. At the midpoint of the round, Abdullayev is still marching forward, pawing with the lead hand, as the more mobile Brazilian uses lateral movement to play the matador. Nascimento again plants and meets Abdullayev with a counter right. Ninety seconds to go and it’s still a footrace with occasional punching. Abdullayev is getting more frustrated by the second and finally stands, throws his hands up and looks at the ref, who dutifully has a brief talk with Nascimento. In the last 30 seconds of the round, Abullayev runs forward, pins Nascimento against the fence and throws a long stream of punches, many of which land, one after the horn. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Abdullayev
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Abdullayev
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Abdullayev

Round 3

Abdullayev comes out for Round 3 at a sprint, swinging with both hands. They collide and both men land a few shots, Abdullayev getting the better of it, and they spill to the ground. Abdullayev drops a few hammerfists, but Nascimento uses a single-leg to stand back up. They clinch near the center of the cage and Nascimento punishes the body with hooks from both hands. They disengage and Abdullayev enters the pocket, then drops levels for a nice double-leg, grounding the Brazilian with ease. He stands over him for a few seconds, then follows him to the ground, landing in half guard and dropping punches. Nascimento powers back to his feet and Abdullayev shoves him to the ground again with a hand to the chest. Abdullayev can’t secure top position, as Nascimento squirms and scoots, but eventually corrals him, ending up in full guard with two minutes to go. Nascimento closes his guard and controls Abdullayev’s posture, staving off any real ground-and-pound but also consigning himself to working from the bottom. With under a minute left in the fight, Abdullayev stands up out of Nascimento’s guard. He dives back in with a huge punch and Nascimento is hurt. The crowd erupts as their hometown fighter goes for broke. Nascimento is in survival mode but seems to be in control of his faculties when Perdios jumps in for the stop. It seems awfully early, and Nascimento gets up shaking his head in disbelief.

The Official Result

Tahir Abdullayev def. Jefferson Nascimento R3 4:28 via TKO (Punches)

Bekzat Almakhan (136) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Matsumoto (-160); Almakhan (+135)

Round 1

Maybe the best fight on the whole UFC Baku card despite being stuck in the early prelims, bantamweight up-and-comers Almakhan and Nascimento go to work under the watchful eye of referee Rich Mitchell. They touch gloves and go to work In matching orthodox stances. Almakhan steps forward and lands a jab. Matsumoto feints with the rear leg a few times, but doesn’t pull the trigger. Matsumoto goes upstairs with a kick that comes up short. Almakhan steps into the pocket and throws a flurry of punches that come up short. Matsumoto flicks out another high kick. Almakhan bursts forward with another glancing volley of punches. Two minutes in, Almakhan catches Matsumoto with a hard left hand that is the cleanest shot of the fight by either man so far. Matsumoto connects with a hard calf kick, then another, a few moments later. Almakhan checks the next one, and nails Matsumoto with a counter that takes him off his feet. Matsumoto springs back up but is hurt. He shoots for a takedown, which Almakhan defends, but gets a few crucial seconds to recover. Matsumoto is still hurt and recovering, but with a minute to go in the round, he steps forward, lands a pair of hooks and clinches, then drives Almakhan to the fence and works for a takedown. Almakhan defends well, but Matsumoto picks up and slams him right before the horn. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Almakhan
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Almakhan
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Almakhan

Round 2

Matsumoto lands first with a right hook. They separate, reengage and Matsumoto connects again. Matsumoto changes levels for a double-leg takedown, and looks close to getting it, but Almakhan sprawls and keeps his feet. They disengage and go back to work at distance. Matsumoto goes to work with kicks to the lead left leg of Almakhan. Almakhan counters with his right cross. Matsumoto lands a two-piece upstairs. Almakhan sidesteps a Matsumoto advance and clocks him with a clean left. Matsumoto shakes it off, but it looks like it hurt. Matsumoto drives Almakhan to the fence, where he grabs a single-leg. Almakhan defends the takedown well and they disengage. Matsumoto touches with a body kick, then another, then a front kick to the midsection. Almakhan is largely wearing the kicks, looking to counter rather than evade. Matsumoto runs Almakhan to the fence but can’t get a takedown going. They collide in the pocket, with both men landing several punches. Matsumoto lands a spinning back elbow at the clapper, then a glancing flying knee before the horn. Close round. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Matsumoto
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Matsumoto
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Matsumoto

Round 3

Matsumoto has a cut over the left eye that has been capably addressed by the cutman between rounds, and he’s on the front foot to kick off Round 3. There are a few tentative exchanges in the pocket, and Matsumoto waves his arms to the crowd. Ninety seconds into the round, Matsumoto is the aggressor, but neither man has truly put a stamp on the round. Referee Mitchell halts the action, as Matsumoto drags his extended fingers across the eye of Almakhan. With a warning and a few seconds to recover, they go back to work. Almakhan gives ground, but lands his left hook, then lands it again. Matsumoto comes up short with a left head kick, then throws a right high kick that glances off the guard of the Kazakhstani. Matsumoto shoots for a takedown near the fence and succeeds in dragging Almakhan to his seat at the base of the cage, but Almakhan bounces back up. They return to the center of the cage, but Matsumoto quickly walks Almakhan back to the cage. Almakhan punches his way off the fence. Almakhan throws a high kick that lands solidly on the forearm of Matsumoto. They meet in the center of the Octagon at the 10-second clapper, but neither man lands anything of consequence before the horn, and they walk off with arms raised. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Matsumoto (29-28 Matsumoto)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Matsumoto (29-28 Matsumoto)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Almakhan (29-28 Almakhan)

The Official Result

Jean Matsumoto def. Bekzat Almakhan via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Theodor Berggren (171) vs. Daniil Donchenko (170.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Donchenko (-525); Berggren (+400)

Round 1

Donchenko and short-notice foe Berggren meet in this welterweight prelim attraction. Herb Dean draws his first referee assignment of the evening. Berggren is southpaw, Donchenko orthodox, leading to a couple of awkward exchanges early, and Donchenko lands a kick that strays to the cup. There is no real break in the action, though, and they go back to work. Berggren switches stances a few times but comes back to southpaw. Donchenko lands a sweeping right hook to the head that hurts Berggen, but he covers up against the fence and recovers. Donchenko walks into a hard body kick. Donchenko punches his way into the clinch and shoves Berggren to the fence, where the Swede reverses him. They disengage and return to the center of the cage. Berggren connects with a step-in knee and a punch upstairs, and Donchenko answers with a straight to the body. Donchenko lands a hard leg kick, then a pair of punches to the body. Donchenko with another hacking kick to the left leg of Berggren. The horn sounds. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Donchenko
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Donchenko
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Donchenko

Round 2

They touch gloves and go back to work. Donchenko goes right back at the legs of Berggren, hitting the lead leg in either stance, following up with punches to the body. Berggren counters with punches to the head. Berggren catches Donchenko coming in with a clean left hand, which the Ukrainian shakes off. Donchenko goes upstairs with a right head kick that smashes into Berggren’s head right through his raised guard. The newcomer drops to his seat near the fence and Donchenko follows at a sprint. Berggren is getting back to his feet by the time Donchenko gets there, but a pair of hooks put him back down and Dean steps in for the stoppage.

The Official Result

Daniil Donchenko def. Theodor Berggren R2 1:35 via TKO (Head Kick and Punches)

Kaan Ofli (146) vs. Javier Reyes (145.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Reyes (-160); Ofli (+135)

Round 1

Ofli, who really really looks like the illegitimate love child of Merab Dvalishvili and Anthony Pettis, squares off against Reyes in this featherweight clash. Rich Mitchell is on referee duty. Ofli is the shorter man, and he slides forward, feinting and throwing his jab, as Reyes looks to counter. Reyes looks a full weight class larger. Ofli goes southpaw for a moment, then switches back. Ofli steps into the pocket and lands a hard overhand right that stings the Colombian. Reyes goes on the offensive and backs Ofli away with some big swings. Ofli connects with a low kick on the advancing Reyes, then a right cross to the body. Two minutes to go in Round 1 and Ofli is giving ground, switching stances and throwing well-timed counters, while Reyes loads up on big shots that miss. Ofli drops Reyes with a beautiful short right hand, then swarms with punches as referee Mitchell looks on closely. Reyes is trying to recover, and Ofli stops the torrent of ground-and-pound, switching to an arm-triangle choke. He locks it up, squeezes, and waits patiently for two or three seconds. The tap comes, and Mitchell steps in for the save. Very impressive work by Kaan Ofli.

The Official Result

Kaan Ofli def. Javier Reyes R1 4:16 via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)

Andrey Pulyaev (186) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (186)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ruziboev (-225); Pulyaev (+180)

Round 1

Lanky middleweights Ruziboev and Pulyaev engage at a word from referee Marc Goddard. Pulyaev is southpaw, Ruziboev orthodox. Pulyaev is mobile early, circling around the outside as Ruziboev moves more conservatively, cutting off the cage and reaching out with range-finding jabs. Ruziboev grabs a snatch single-leg and dumps Pulyaev to his seat at the base of the fence. Pulyaev stands back up, and Ruziboev drags him to the canvas once more, moving to the Russian’s back and going supine in the middle of the cage with nearly three full minutes to work. Pulyaev guards his neck and tries to sit up, but Ruziboev is ultra-patient, locking up a modified body triangle, boxing Pulyaev’s ears with short punches and looking for a chance to reapply the choke. This is like watching a python swallow a goat. Ruziboev sinks an arm under the chin and squeezes, and Pulyaev is astral traveling within seconds. The man is out cold, eyes wide open, and Goddard steps in for the save. Ruziboev gets up to celebrate, leaving Pulyaev facedown and snoozing. Wow.

The Official Result

Nursulton Ruziboev def. Andrey Pulyaev R1 3:58 via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Julius Walker (206) vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (206)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Yakhyaev (-550); Walker (+425)

Round 1

The heaviest bout at UFC Baku features unbeaten 205-pound prospect Yakhyaev against fellow up-and-comer Walker. The referee is Jim Perdios. They touch gloves and Yakhyaev absolutely levels Walker with his very first punch, a tight right hook to the jaw. He pounces, drops a couple hammerfists and Perdios is there for the save. One of the 10 fastest finishes in UFC history, an animated gif of a fight, is over.

The Official Result

Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Julius Walker R1 0:08 via KO (Punches)

Farman Hasanov (170.5) vs. Eric Nolan (170.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Hasanov (-180); Nolan (+140)

Round 1

The final undercard bout of UFC Baku features Nolan, back down at his preferred weight class after his short-notice middleweight debut earlier this year, against another hot prospect in Hasanov, who represents the host country. Nolan walks out to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” and UFC color commentator and former multi-divisional contender Paul Felder could stand to re-read the lyrics. Both men are in orthodox stance. Rich Mitchell is on referee duty. Hasanov steps into the pocket, grabs a single-leg almost casually, and hoists Nolan for a takedown. Nolan gets back up and Hasanov returns him to the ground, moving to Nolan’s back and throwing a nice uppercut under the arm. Nolan gets back up and Hasanov puts him back on the ground at the base of the fence. Nolan is patient, doesn’t panic and stands yet again. This time, Hasanov peels him off the fence and dumps him near the center of the cage. An on-screen readout tells us that Hasanov is 6-for-8 on takedowns so far, but it feels like 26-for-28. Ninety seconds to go and Hasanov is still absolutely glued to Nolan, who has made his way back to the fence. Hasanov gets another takedown, landing in half-guard and looking to isolate an arm. Hasanov rears up and drops a couple of big hammerfists which, despite the complete wrestlef**cking, represent pretty much the only damage all round by either man. The horn sounds. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov

Round 2

Hasanov gets a takedown instantly in the center of the cage. Nolan is once again active, slippery, refusing to concede the position, and springs back to his feet. Hasanov yanks him away from the cage by main force and dumps him back to the ground. Nolan gets back up and meets Hasanov’s next entry with a glancing knee. Hasanov gets the takedown but he is definitely looking winded. Hasanov gets a wrestling ride on the turtled Nolan and throws a couple of hard punches from behind. Nolan gets back up and both men are breathing hard. Nolan catches the incoming Hasanov with an uppercut. Hasanov is exhausted and hurt, and the momentum is shifting. Hasanov stems the changing tide with another takedown, and he’s kneeling over Nolan at the base of the fence. Under a minute to go in the round and Nolan gets back up once again. Hasanov grabs a single-leg and takes a breather as Nolan wide-legs and uses an underhook. Hasanov drags Nolan away from the fence and hauls him down for what feels like his 317th takedown of the fight, right before the horn. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov

Round 3

The final round opens, and the lack of any takedown attempts in the first 45 seconds speaks eloquently to the level of Hasanov’s fatigue. Nolan is chipping away with nice accurate single strikes, but simply winning the round will not be enough. Hasanov is throwing back single strikes, enough to keep things close. Nearly two minutes in, Hasanov tries for his first takedown of the round, but it’s a labored thing, bending at the waist and punching forward, and Nolan shucks him off easily. A moment later, Hasanov gets a beautiful scoop and slam in close quarters. Nolan gamely gets back to all fours, then crawls towards the fence. Hasanov knows what’s coming, and stops his foe short of the chain-link that has helped him back to his feet (legally) so many times in this fight already. A minute left and Hasanov is stuck to Nolan’s back, keeping him on the ground, keeping him away from the fence, and while Mitchell warns him to work, Nolan isn’t doing much either. Hasanov steps to mount, then gets onto the back when Nolan goes onto all fours. The horn sounds on an absolutely grueling welterweight bout. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov (30-27 Hasanov)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov (30-27 Hasanov)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Hasanov (30-27 Hasanov)

The Official Result

Farman Hasanov def. Eric Nolan via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Abus Magomedov (185.5) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (186)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Magomedov (-130); Oleksiejczuk (+110)

Round 1

The main card of UFC Baku kicks off with middleweights Magomedov and Oleksiejczuk, who operate under the auspices of referee Jim Perdios. Oleksiejczuk is southpaw, Magomedov orthodox, and Perdios strikes first with a warning to Magomedov for advancing with his fingers extended. Magomedov kicks the calf. Oleksiejczuk lands an uppercut to the body. Perdios warns Magomedov about the fingers again. Magomedov is active with the low kicks early, and Oleksiejczuk is thus far choosing to eat them and answer with punches. Magomedov clinches and runs Oleksiejczuk to the fence. They pummel for underhooks, and Magomedov hits the Pole with a big knee to the body. Oleksiejczuk shucks him off and they return to space. Magomedov blasts the oncoming Oleksiejczuk with a beautiful elbow that hurts him badly. Oleksiejczuk stumbles backwards and Magomedov gives chase, dropping a few more punches, then wrapping his foe’s neck in a tight guillotine. Magomedov gets a leg up over the back and the choke is lethal. Oleksiejczuk taps, but goes out before Perdios can get there to stop the fight. Very impressive work from Abus Magomedov.

The Official Result

Abus Magomedov def. Michal Oleksiejczuk R1 3:25 via Submission (Guillotine Choke)

Ikram Aliskerov (186) vs. Brunno Ferreira (185)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Aliskerov (-280); Ferreira (+220)

Round 1

Middleweights are up again, this time in the form of offense-minded maulers Aliskerov and Ferreira. The third man in the cage is Marc Goddard. Both men are in orthodox stance but as Aliskerov advances, Ferreira switches to southpaw, and then back. Ferreira comes up short with a sweeping overhand right. Aliskerov meets his next entry with a level change and runs him to the fence. Ferreira grabs an underhook but Aliskerov hoists and dumps him anyway. Ferreira turns his back in order to stand and manages to disengage without giving up back control. They separate and Aliskerov promptly boots him to the cup in the next exchange. Goddard halts the action and warns Aliskerov while the Brazilian catches his breath. When they go back to work, Aliskerov lands a hard low kick. Aliskerov nails Ferreira with a knee up the middle. Ferreira backs up to the cage and Aliskerov comes in behind a flying knee, then seamlessly drops for a double-leg takedown, hauling Ferreira down and away from the fence. Beautiful mixing of the martial arts there. With 90 seconds left in the round, Aliskerov is in Ferreira’s full guard near the warning track, throwing short punches to the ribs while Ferreira closes his guard and controls his posture. Ferreira opens up his guard and looks for some possible offense from his back, elevating his hips for an armbar or triangle. Aliskerov lets Ferreira up and lands a right hand before the horn. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Aliskerov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Aliskerov
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Aliskerov

Round 2

Aliskerov throws a high front kick that misses short. He meets Ferreira’s next entry with a push kick up the middle. Ferreira is struggling badly to navigate the reach of the taller, longer Aliskerov; he’s eating a strike or two on the way in every time, and even when they don’t do a ton of damage, they disrupt whatever Ferreira was planning to do. Like clockwork, as I type that, Ferreira wades into the pocket and runs right into a perfectly timed level change. Aliskerov deposits him on the canvas and, as Ferreira scrambles, ends up kneeling over him in an almost north-south position. Aliskerov looks to isolate an arm for a kimura or armbar. Ferreira escapes but gives up his back. Aliskerov is draped all over him, but Ferreira is patient and methodical, and gets back to his feet without giving up back mount. Aliskerov drills Ferreira with two punches, but there isn’t much behind them. Ferreira steps forward and throws punches, and several land before Aliskerov gets onto his hips and drags him back to the canvas. Ferreira escapes back to his feet around the 30-second mark, and Aliskerov hustles him back to the ground again. Ferreira looks for a calf slicer as Aliskerov stands over him, but can’t get it before the horn. Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Aliskerov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Aliskerov
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Aliskerov