The UFC has announced its return to Baku, Azerbaijan on June 27, with Rafael Fiziev headlining the event at the National Gymnastics Arena against Manuel Torres in a lightweight main event.
Fiziev gets the chance to perform in front of his home country crowd, though he arrives in difficult form. The 33-year-old is 1-4 in his last five fights, with his only win during that stretch coming against Ignacio Bahamondes at last year’s inaugural UFC Baku event. His most recent outing was a second-round knockout loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325.
Torres enters on contrasting momentum, riding a two-fight winning streak built on back-to-back first-round knockouts of Drew Dober and Grant Dawson. A win over the ranked Fiziev would be the result that finally cracks Torres into the lightweight top 15.
The co-feature brings together two of the division’s most entertaining performers. Shara Magomedov returns to face fan-favorite Michel Pereira in a middleweight clash that promises fireworks from the opening bell. Magomedov is coming off a win over Marc-Andre Barriault that helped him rebound from his first professional loss against Michael Page. Pereira enters having snapped a three-fight losing streak with a split decision victory over Zachary Reese.
UFC Baku takes place June 27 at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, one week before UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.