Don’t blink or you might miss UFC Fight Night’s main event. Rafael Fiziev and Manuel Torres, two thrilling strikers in the action-packed lightweight division, collide on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Fiziev (13-5) might be the best pure Muay Thai striker in the division. He’s shown flashes of elite potential, but has struggled to fulfill it. His back is against the wall after a 1-4 stretch, which includes two losses to current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. Fiziev has newfound inspiration after witnessing Gaethje, whom many thought would never win the undisputed title when he overcame Ilia Topuria.
“I wanted him to win. I’m totally with him, but I didn’t completely believe he’d win…” Fiziev told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “When I saw the damage on Ilia’s face, I thought, ‘Wow!’ I was screaming at home in front of the TV. I’m very happy for him. It’s motivated me because I fought him twice in Fight of the Nights.”
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Torres (17-3) has one speed and one speed only. Every fight, except one, has ended in Round 1. The two-pronged finisher broke into the lightweight rankings with knockouts over Drew Dober and Grant Dawson. Now, he’s circling one of the division’s most fearsome but seemingly compromised strikers.
“Truthfully, I think Rafael Fiziev hasn’t seen my game really because I finish my fights within the first couple of minutes,” Torres told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I’m coming in with my plan and my pace, and I will impose myself.
“I’m always prepared to fight for five rounds, but it’s part of my strategy to win in the first round.”
UFC’s return to Baku has an interesting co-main event. Shara “Bullet” Magomedov has been nearly perfect inside the Octagon. He aims to reaffirm that against Michel Pereira, the explosive but inconsistent middleweight madman. Other notable names on the card include ranked flyweights Asu Almabayev and Charles Johnson fighting each other, plus Ikram Aliserkov and Abus Magomedov in separate bouts.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: June 27 | Start time: 12 p.m. ET (Main card) | 9 a.m. ET (Prelims)
Location: National Gymnastics Arena — Baku, Azerbaijan
Stream: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres: Nothing raises alarms more than a first-round fighter. Torres is tremendously powerful, no doubt, but he’s not the most refined striker. That cost him against Ignacio Bahamondes, a fighter whom Fiziev beat cleanly. Fiziev’s combination of patience, striking finesse and experience will reward him the longer this fight goes. It’s probable that Torres tires out and gets caught slacking if this fight makes it past Round 1. Fiziev’s health is a bigger concern for me than his losses. He gave Gaethje two tough fights, lost to Mateusz Gamrot by knee injury and got starched by a phenomenally talented Mauricio Ruffy. Durability issues in mind, I think the 33-year-old has enough juice to outwork someone like Torres. Pick: Fiziev via KO, Round 3
