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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Baku
Dissecting The Lineup For The UFC’s Inaugural Trip To Azerbaijan This Weekend
By E. Spencer Kyte
Add another pin to the world map displaying all the locations the UFC has been to over its illustrious history as the Octagon touches down in Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend for the first time.
Baku Crystal Palace is set to play host to a 12-fight card headlined by a tense light heavyweight clash between former champion Jamahal Hill and recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr., with the main card featuring three athletes representing the host nation, and the remainder of the lineup including a host of competitive and compelling bouts.
It should be an electric night of action in the Southern Caucasus nation.
Here’s a closer look at what’s on tap.
Main Event: Jamahal Hill vs Khalil Rountree Jr.
Hopefully the third time will be the charm as Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. once again try to step into the Octagon opposite one another in a battle for position in the light heavyweight hierarchy.
Hill arrives in Baku seeking his first win since claiming the light heavyweight title at the start of 2023, having landed on the wrong side of things in consecutive outings against Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. The 34-year-old had positive moments in his UFC 311 clash with Prochazka in January, but ultimately got drawn into a firefight that he could not successfully navigate, and will have to avoid similar situations here if he hopes to get things moving in the right direction again.
Rountree Jr. opened a lot of eyes last October when he pushed Pereira more than any of his previous challengers in the 205-pound weight class had in the past at UFC 307. While he was ultimately stopped in the fourth round, the game and gutsy effort validated the former TUF finalist’s place in the championship bout, added greater depth and value to his previous five wins, and altered the way many people look at him as a competitor.
These two have been booked to face off twice before, with each being at the root of a postponement once. There has been some jawing between the two, with Hill doing the lion’s share of the talking and Rountree Jr. eager to answer in the Octagon, which has brought added intrigue to this critical divisional clash.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Baamondes
Lightweight strikers occupy the co-main event slot on Saturday as Rafael Fiziev faces off with Ignacio Bahamondes.
Fiziev, who represents Azerbaijan, makes his second appearance of the year, aiming to snap a three-fight skid. He suffered a knee injury during his bout with Mateusz Gamrot two fights back, then landed on the wrong side of the cards in a rematch with Justin Gaethje earlier this year, but remains a Top 15 mainstay and one of the most respected strikers in the division.
The 27-year-old Bahamondes has won three straight and six of his last seven, entering this weekend’s fight card off a first-round submission win over Jalin Turner at UFC 313 in March. Tall and rangy, the Chicago-based fighter has earned first-round stoppages in each of his last three wins, and will be aiming to put himself back in the rankings by extending his winning streak.
Will Fiziev halt his slide and defend his position in the rankings or can Bahamondes make it four-straight with another crucial victory?
Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev
Curtis Blaydes welcomes Rizvan Kuniev to the UFC in this intriguing clash between a perennial contender and a promotional newcomer in the heavyweight division.
The Denver-based Blaydes has shared the Octagon with a who’s who of the heavyweight division over the last several years, establishing himself as a Top 5 fixture with wins over Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida. He landed on the wrong side of the results last time out in his rematch with interim champ Tom Aspinall, and looks to get things moving in the right direction here by spoiling Kuniev’s debut.
A member of the DWCS Class of ’24, the 31-year-old Russian newcomer punched his ticket to the UFC by finishing Hugo Cunha just before the horn signaled the end of the first round last August in Las Vegas. Unbeaten in his last dozen fights, Kuniev is an interesting addition to a division that is always welcome to new talent.
Will Blaydes provide a rough introduction to life in the UFC for the incoming freshman or will Kuniev instantly establish himself as a contender by taking one out in his first trip into the Octagon?
Tofiq Musayev vs Myktybek Orolbai
Veteran Tofiq Musayev makes his promotional debut at home in Azerbaijan, stepping into the Octagon with Myktbek Orolbai of Kyrgyzstan in this main card lightweight fixture.
Musayev has competed in both Bellator and Rizin in the past, having competed against established names, including UFC alums Daron Cruickshank and Johnny Case, Bellator mainstays Patricky Pitbull, Sidney Outlaw, and Alexandr Shabily, and Rizin standout Roberto de Souza. The 35-year-old is 18-2 over his last 20 outings, and won each of his last two appearances by stoppage.
Orolbai earned consecutive victories to begin his UFC tenure, submitting Uros Medic before moving down a division and out-lasting Elves Brenner at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro. He closed out last year by dropping a split decision to Mateusz Rebecki in the UFC 308 Fight of the Night, and looks to right the ship here.
This has elements of a classic “veteran versus prospect” battle mixed with a little “hometown fighter gets a huge opportunity” for seasoning. It should be a spirited affair for as long as it lasts, and you know the partisan crowd is going to be in full throat throughout.
Nazim Sadykhov vs Nikolas Motta
It’s a clash of DWCS grads here as Nazim Sadykhov returns to his hometown to face off with Brazilian finisher Nikolas Motta.
Raised in Baku before his family moved to Brooklyn, Sadykhov makes his fifth UFC start, aiming to maintain his unbeaten record inside the Octagon. After missing all of 2024, the Ray Longo protege scored a stoppage win over Ismael Bonfim in February, blasting the Brazilian with a question mark kick that left him unable to continue after the first five minutes.
It took Motta a little time to make it to the Octagon after graduating from the Contender Series in 2020 and more time to settle into life in the UFC, but things seem to be coming together nicely for the 32-year-old now. After going 1-2 with a no contest (which was trending in the wrong direction) to open his tenure, Motta has earned back-to-back wins, stopping Tom Nolan and out-hustling Mahershate over his last two outings.
This is a massive moment for Sadykhov, who got to compete in his adopted hometown of New York City two fights back. Motta is game and aggressive, and showed against Nolan that he’s not opposed to upsetting the apple cart, so expect fireworks in this one for as long as it lasts.
Muhammad Naimov vs Bogdan Grad
Featherweights coming off quality wins at the start of February in Riyadh share the Octagon in this one as Muhammad Naimov takes on Bogdan Grad.
Naimov burst onto the scene with a short notice upset win over Jamie Mullarkey up a division in June 2023, and has gone 3-1 through his first four UFC appearances. He got back in the win column earlier this year with a unanimous decision win over recent TUF finalist Kaan Olfi, moving to 12-3 overall with the victory.
Grad turned his second appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series into a chance to compete in the Octagon, then registered one of the bigger upsets of the year in Saudi Arabia, collecting a second-round stoppage win over Brazilian Lucas Alexander. The 29-year-old Austrian is 15-2 overall, has won four straight since his loss to Nolan in his first DWCS appearance, and is 9-1 in his last 10 outings.
This should be a competitive battle between two athletes eager to keep claiming space in the featherweight division. Both do their best work in grappling situations, so expect a great deal of time spent in the clinch battling for positions and plenty of scrambling when the action inevitably hits the canvas.
Preliminary Card Pairings
SeokHyun Ko vs Oban Elliott
Visa issues forced SeokHyun Ko and Oban Elliott off the May 31 fight card in Las Vegas and into a matchup with one another this weekend in Baku instead.
The 31-year-old Ko makes is making his promotional debut, aiming to extend his winning streak to five by making an immediate splash in the welterweight division. Elliott had a solid rookie campaign in 2024, posting three wins in as many starts to run his overall winning streak to eight.
Ismail Naurdiev vs JunYong Park
Ismail Naurdiev aims to make it consecutive wins since returning to the UFC fold this weekend, but in order to do so, he’ll need to get by divisional mainstay JunYong Park.
Naurdiev made his first trek into the Octagon in more than four years last October, returning as a middleweight and getting the better of things against Bruno Silva. A staple on the roster since 2019, Park has quietly gone 8-3 in the UFC, entering Saturday’s contest off a split decision win over Brad Tavares last time out.
Daria Zhelezniakova vs Melissa Mullins
Bantamweights entering from different directions clash in Baku on Saturday, as Melissa Mullins and Daria Zhelezniakova renew acquaintances on the prelims.
Mullins has alternated wins and losses through her first three UFC starts, earning a stoppage win over Klaudia Sygula last time out, while Zhelezniakova was submitted by Ailin Perez in her most recent outing. The two fought under the Ares FC banner in November 2023, with Mullins winning by first-round submission, so we’ll see if anything has changed as they run it back here.
Irina Alekseeva vs Klaudia Sygula
Saturday’s action in Azerbaijan kicks off in the bantamweight division, as Irina Alekseeva and Klaudia Sygula share the Octagon.
Alekseeva debuted with an impressive first-round submission win over Stephanie Egger butdropped a decision to Mullins in her sophomore appearance. Sygula also ran afoul of the British bantamweight, dropping her promotional debut to “No Mess” last November at the UFC APEX.
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Azat Maksum
Russian veteran Tagir Ulanbekov looks to defend his place in the pecking order as he squares off with Azat Maksum of Kazakhstan on Saturday.
Stationed at No. 12 in the flyweight rankings, Ulanbekov has earned three straight wins and victories in five of six UFC appearances, most recently getting the better of Clayton Carpenter at UFC 311. Maksum has split his first two appearances inside the Octagon, edging out veteran Tyson Nam in his promotional debut before landing on the wrong side of the cards in a clash with Charles Johnson in early 2024.
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs Mohammed Usman
Hamdy Abdelwahab looks to make it two straight in 2025, while Mohammed Usman aims to halt a two-fight skid in this preliminary card clash of heavyweights.
Abdelwahab made his first start in over two years in February, edging out Jamal Pogues on the scorecards in a low output affair in Riyadh. Usman, who won the heavyweight competition on Season 30 of The Ultimate Fighter, has dropped each of his last two outings by decision, bringing his record to 2-2 under the UFC banner.
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