Rafael Fiziev confirmed in an interview with journalist Janer Akbaba that his next fight will take place at UFC Baku on June 27. Akbaba stated he knows the opponent's identity but cannot reveal it yet. However, he noted that the opponent will be one of three fighters: Dan Hooker, Manuel Torres, or Brian Ortega. Information emerged yesterday that Manuel Torres has signed a fight contract, which strongly suggests the matchup will be Fiziev versus Torres in Baku. It remains unclear whether this bout will serve as the main event or co-main event of the card.
Rafael Fiziev has confirmed he will compete at UFC Baku on June 27, with reports strongly pointing to Manuel Torres as his likely opponent, though the matchup has not yet been officially announced.
Fiziev, known as "Ataman," disclosed the booking in an interview with journalist Janer Akbaba, who indicated he already knows the opponent but is not yet able to name him publicly. Akbaba narrowed the field to three candidates — Torres, Dan Hooker, or Brian Ortega — and a separate report that Torres recently signed a fight contract has since made the Mexican fighter the heavy favorite to fill that slot. Whether the bout will serve as the main event or co-main event remains unconfirmed.
Fiziev carries a 14-5 record and sits seventh in the UFC lightweight rankings. The 33-year-old Kazakhstani trains out of Tiger Muay Thai and fights out of a switch stance, landing 4.71 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy. He stands five-foot-eight with a 71-inch reach.
Torres, nicknamed "El Loco," is a 31-year-old Mexican fighter who holds a 17-4 record and trains at Entram Gym. He is one of the more aggressive strikers in the lightweight division, averaging a remarkable 7.29 significant strikes per minute at 59 percent accuracy, and adds 1.72 takedowns per fifteen minutes to his game.
Why it matters
- Fiziev is ranked seventh at lightweight and a win over a rising contender like Torres could push him back into title contention conversations
- Torres's reported contract signing makes this the most credible version of the matchup, though nothing is official
- Both fighters are switch-stance strikers, setting up a potentially explosive stand-up exchange
- The position of the bout on the card — main event or co-main — will signal how heavily the UFC is invested in this pairing for the Baku card
