Historic UFC debut in Azerbaijan delivers thrilling MMA action, unforgettable moments Stunning Wins, Tough Losses on Caliber.Az

On June 21, Azerbaijan hosted its first-ever UFC tournament at the Baku Crystal Hall, marking a historic moment for mixed martial arts. 

The high-intensity bouts extended well past midnight, thrilling fans with nonstop action. This was the first time the Azerbaijani capital staged MMA fights of such a high caliber, and the event certainly lived up to expectations.

As always, Baku delivered a world-class sporting spectacle — not only in terms of organization and entertainment, but also with top-tier security and safety standards. As previously reported, the event featured 12 pairs of fighters — including two women’s bouts — with six matchups taking place on the preliminary card and six on the main card of the “UFC on ABC 8” tournament.

One of the standout bouts on the preliminary card was the clash between Russia’s Tagir Ulanbekov — who was cornered by none other than Khabib Nurmagomedov and current UFC pound-for-pound No. 1 Islam Makhachev — and Kazakhstan’s Azat Maksum. Despite Maksum maintaining a clear advantage throughout most of the fight, the judges awarded the victory to Ulanbekov, prompting visible frustration from the crowd, which had packed Baku Crystal Hall to near capacity.

As for the main card, the performance of Azerbaijani fighters left a mixed impression. Despite finally getting his long-awaited opportunity to compete in the UFC, Tofiq Musayev — who had spent his entire career striving for this moment — delivered what could be considered one of the weakest performances of his career in his debut fight. Facing off against Myktybek Oralbai of Kyrgyzstan, Musayev was quickly defeated in the first round via a straightforward kimura submission. At 35 years old, this disappointing outing may very well mark the end of Musayev’s brief stint in the UFC.

Another Azerbaijani fighter, Nazim Sadykhov — who, notably, has lived most of his life in the United States — delivered an electrifying performance against Brazil’s Nikolas Motta. After withstanding a brutal barrage of strikes in the first round and somehow staying on his feet, Sadykhov turned the tide, mentally and physically breaking his opponent, who appeared stunned that Nazim was still standing. Sadykhov seized control in the second round, securing a victory by technical knockout. The fight was later named Fight of the Night, earning both Sadykhov and Motta an additional $100,000 bonus each.

The evening’s headliner was ethnic Azerbaijani Rafael Fiziev, who has represented Azerbaijan since 2022. He finally ended a tough three-fight losing streak by defeating Chilean Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision — a fighter who was coming off a three-win streak of his own. With this victory, Fiziev notched his 13th UFC win, and fans are hopeful this fight will serve as a career reboot for the Azerbaijani athlete.  

Finally, the main event of the evening between Americans Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree ended with a convincing victory for Rountree. Hill suffered his third consecutive defeat, much to the disappointment of the Baku audience. Throughout the full five rounds—the standard length for a main event—Hill failed to deliver any memorable attacks, falling short against his more focused and determined opponent.

Thus concluded the first-ever UFC tournament not only in Azerbaijan but across the entire Caucasus region—a thrilling event that lasted six and a half hours and delivered countless unforgettable moments for the residents and visitors of the capital. These moments will cherish for a long time to come.

Vugar Vugarli, exclusively for Caliber.Az