BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 19. This is my first time in Azerbaijan—a country I've always heard great things about—and my experience in Baku has confirmed it. Everything here is organized at an exceptionally high level, said the guest of honor at UFC Fight Night Baku—renowned American fighter of Georgian origin, Merab Dvalishvili, Trend reports.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the event, Dvalishvili praised the organization of the event and shared his admiration for Azerbaijani cuisine. The Georgian-American fighter also noted that Azerbaijan and Georgia are neighboring and friendly countries, and I’m truly happy to be here.
"I think that hosting UFC in Azerbaijan is a major achievement for the country, and he expressed hope that a similar event could one day be held in Georgia, though he acknowledged that would be a challenging goal. I wish all Azerbaijani athletes good luck in their upcoming fights. Azerbaijan has always had strong fighters, including those competing abroad. Today, the country can be proud to have three athletes in the UFC. One of them is my friend, Nazim Sadykhov. We trained together in New York, and I was there for his debut fight. We’re now training in Las Vegas, and we’ve prepared a surprise for everyone. You’ll see it when Nazim enters the octagon,” Dvalishvili said.
He also highlighted the strong interest in the event from Georgia, noting that tickets from Tbilisi and Batumi to Baku sold out quickly as many sought to attend the landmark tournament.
Regarding the headline bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and title contender Khalil Rountree, Dvalishvili said, “They are both great fighters. I’ve been friends with Hill for a long time, and I train in the same gym as Rountree. It’s hard to pick a favorite—I wish both the best of luck.”
Merab Dvalishvili currently holds the UFC bantamweight title and ranks second in the promotion’s official pound-for-pound list.
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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