Rafael Fiziev will face Manuel Torres in the main event of UFC Baku on June 27. The bout will serve as the headliner for the promotion's event in Azerbaijan. Shara Bullet and Michel Pereira will compete in the co-main event. Both matchups are now official for the card. The post does not provide additional details about the fighters' records or rankings.
Rafael Fiziev will headline UFC Baku against Manuel Torres on June 27, with the promotion returning to Azerbaijan for what shapes up as an action-packed card. Michel Pereira and Shara Bullet will serve as the co-main event on the same night, both bouts now officially confirmed.
Fiziev, nicknamed "Ataman," is a 33-year-old Kazakhstani lightweight ranked seventh in his division. He carries a 14-5 record and trains out of Tiger Muay Thai. A switch-stance striker standing five-foot-eight with a 71-inch reach, Fiziev lands 4.71 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy, making him a consistent offensive threat in the 155-pound ranks.
His opponent, Manuel Torres, goes by "El Loco" for good reason. The 31-year-old Mexican out of Entram Gym holds a 17-4 record and brings some of the most prolific striking output in the lightweight division, landing 7.29 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 59 percent accuracy. Torres also contributes on the ground, averaging 1.72 takedowns per 15 minutes. He stands five-foot-ten with a 73-inch reach and fights out of a switch stance.
In the co-main event, Brazilian middleweight Michel Pereira — "Demolidor" — enters at 32-15 and holds the number-15 ranking at 185 pounds. The 32-year-old out of Overcome Academy stands six-foot-one with a 73-inch reach, averaging 4.46 significant strikes per minute and adding 1.21 takedowns per 15 minutes to his game.
Why it matters
- Fiziev versus Torres pits the seventh-ranked lightweight against one of the division's most dangerous finishing threats
- Torres's striking volume and accuracy could challenge Fiziev's own heavy hands in a potential fight-of-the-night candidate
- Pereira's middleweight ranking means a strong performance could push him further up the 185-pound ladder
- UFC Baku gives the promotion a high-profile footprint in Central Asia with genuine divisional stakes across both headline bouts
