BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. I am happy to perform in front of my home crowd. I feel strong support here in Baku—fighting here brings special motivation, said Azerbaijani fighter Rafael Fiziev at a press conference ahead of UFC Fight Night Baku, Trend reports.
Fiziev noted that the upcoming fight could play out either in striking or ground wrestling. “The main thing is for the bout to be exciting for everyone. Above all, I’m focused on winning,” he added.
For the first time, the UFC Fight Night tournament will be held in Baku on June 21. The event at Baku Crystal Hall will feature 12 fights, six in the main card and six in the preliminary card. The main event of the UFC evening in Baku will be the fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and former title contender Khalil Rountree. The second most significant fight will take place in the lightweight division between Azerbaijani Rafael Fiziev and Chilean fighter Ignacio Bahamondes. Also entering the octagon will be representatives of Azerbaijan Nazim Sadikhov and Tofig Musayev, who will face Brazilian Nicolas Motta and Kyrgyzstani Myktybek Orolbay, respectively.
UFC Baku Fight Night Program
Preliminary card: fights start at 20:00 (GMT +4):
1. Featherweight: Irina Alexeyeva (5-2-0, Russia) vs. Klaudia Sigula (6-2-0, Poland)
2. Welterweight: Ko Sok Hyun (1-0-0, South Korea) vs. Elliott Oban (12-2-0, Wales)
3. Heavyweight: Hamdi Abdel Wahab (6-0-0, Egypt) vs. Muhammad Usman (11-4-0, Nigeria)
4. Featherweight: Melissa Mullins (7-1-0, England) vs. Daria Zheleznyakova (9-2-0, Russia)
5. Middleweight: Ismail Naurdiev (24-7-0, Morocco) vs. Park Chung Yong (18-6-0, South Korea)
6. Flyweight: Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2-0, Russia) vs. Maksum Azat (17-1-0, Kazakhstan)
Main card: fights start at 23:00, in the following order:
7. Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov (12-3-0, Tajikistan) vs. Bogdan Grad (15-2-0, Austria)
8. Lightweight: Nazim Sadikhov (10-1-1, Azerbaijan) vs. Nicolas Motta (15-5-0, Brazil)
9. Heavyweight: Curtis Blades (18-5-0, US) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (12-2-1, Russia)
10. Lightweight: Tofig Musayev (debut, Azerbaijan) vs. Myktybek Orolbay (13-2-1, Kyrgyzstan)
11. Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0, Azerbaijan) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5-0, Chile)
12. Light heavyweight: Jamahal Hill (12-3-0, US) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6-0, US)
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