Fiziev backs his own power for success at UFC Fight Night

With the UFC continuing to provide Mixed Martial Arts fans with more unique events, the latest instalment of Fight Night will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, headlined by local favourite Rafael Fiziev, who will face the confident Manuel Torres in the Lightweight division on Saturday.

Main card set to commence at 6pm (CAT, GMT+2).

Taking to the National Gymnastics Arena this weekend, Fiziev (13-5-0) will be hoping to get back to winning ways in front of his supporters on home soil.

The Azerbaijani fighter's most recent fight came in February, where he suffered a knockout loss against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia. Fiziev last tasted victory on 21 June 2025, where he recorded a unanimous decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ABC: Hill v Rountree Jr in Baku.

Prior to his win over Bahamondes, the 33-year-old noted three consecutive losses, two of which came against reigning Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 and UFC 313 respectively.

Torres (17-3-0) on the other hand, will head into this weekend’s spectacle on the back of wins against Drew Dober and Grant Dawson, both of which were first round knockout victories that earned him the Performance of the Night award.

The 31-year-old Mexican's last defeat took place on 14 September 2024, where Bahamondes powered his way to a first-round knockout win at UFC 306 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In summing up his next opponent, Fiziev expressed that Torres carries strong punching power, before mentioning that he will return the favour with strength of his own.

"Yeah, he's a strong guy. He's a strong guy," Fiziev said.

"He has bombs on his hands. But I'm also a strong guy. I'm growing in a gym from 11 years old. I'm in a gym from 11 years old. I fight every month, every week sometimes. I'm also doing this all my life. I really enjoy that, and I really love that.

“Yeah, I see he finishes in the first round. He likes to stay relaxed in the fight, and sometimes he's explosive, and every time he touches the face, his opponents have a problem with that.

“But this MMA, sometimes we think everything is good, but everything is not good. I'm ready for everything. And everything that he prepared for me, I'm ready for that. And I believe for my power, 100 per cent."

Also featuring on the card, the enigmatic Sharaputdin Magomedov will return to the Octagon to face veteran Michel Pereira in the Middleweight division in the Co-main event.

The Middleweight class will stage two more fights, as Ikram Alisekrov takes on Brunno Ferreira, while Abusupiyan Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk will do battle in the first fight on the main card.

UFC Fight Night Main Card

Rafael Fiziev v Manuel Torres (Main event – Lightweight)

Sharaputdin Magomedov v Michel Pereira (Co-main – Middleweight)

Nazim Sadykhov v Matheus Camilo (Lightweight)

Asu Almabayev v Charles Johnson (Flyweight)

Ikram Alisekrov v Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight)

Abusupiyan Magomedov v Michal Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight)