Rafael Fiziev defeats Manuel Torres by KO/TKO
Fiziev vs Torres — Lightweight · UFC Baku
Watch
The finish and the full recap.
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
The opening round was competitive, with Fiziev mixing takedowns and counters while Torres pressed forward.
Fiziev spun through a wheel kick 15 seconds into round two and dropped Torres.
He followed with ground strikes as Torres tried to rise, forcing the stoppage.
- Official UFC main-card resultsUFC · UFC Baku main-card results
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: MMA JOEY Hit; Bedtime MMA Miss; DFS By The Numbers Miss.
All 3 analyst scorecardsWinner, method and round results3 scored · 1 hit · 2 misses
| Predicted by | Pick | Actual | Winner | Method | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historic market Underdog call, market price 49.5%. Fiziev · KO/TKO · R2 | Fiziev · KO/TKO R2 | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| MMA Joey goes against the Torres momentum and picks Fiziev by second-round TKO, trusting his technical striking, counters and late-fight edge if he survives the early onslaught. Track record: winner called in 18 of 27 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 50.5%. Torres · KO/TKO | Fiziev · KO/TKO R2 | Miss | Not applicable — the winner call missed | Not applicable — the winner call missed | |
| Bedtime takes Torres by knockout, arguing his size, reach, forward boxing and finishing instinct can break through Fiziev's kicking range before the later rounds. Track record: winner called in 83 of 126 resolved picks. | |||||
| Historic market Favourite call, market price 50.5%. Torres · KO/TKO | Fiziev · KO/TKO R2 | Miss | Not applicable — the winner call missed | Not applicable — the winner call missed | |
| DFS picks Torres, reading the career trajectories in opposite directions and expecting Torres to land the bigger shot while Fiziev is still vulnerable from recent damage. Track record: winner called in 77 of 112 resolved picks. | |||||
Only 1 of 3 called the upset.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 4.71 6.57
- 50% 50%
- 4.81 4.24
- 90% 77%
- 64% 94%
- 13-5-0
- Record
- 17-3-0
- 2-3 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 4-1 last 5
- Switch
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- Switch
- 11:32
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- 2:50
- Azerbaijan
- Nationality
- Mexico
- Tiger Muay Thai · Phuket
- Team
- Aldama's Muay Thai Gym · Tijuana
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Fiziev
Fiziev is the counter-striking genius fighting on home soil in Baku, and his spinning technique library — wheel kicks, back kicks, spinning heel kicks — is uniquely suited to punish Torres's aggressive, forward-pressure style. Despite a rough 1-4 run, Fiziev's technical ceiling is undeniable, and against a fighter who attacks on a straight line, his defensive IQ and timing are decisive weapons.
Case for Torres
Torres is the most dangerous first-round finisher in the division — five UFC wins, all by first-round knockout, with 16 of 17 career wins by stoppage. At 6'0" with a 73" reach, he carries size advantages and a genuine 66% model win probability. If he can get inside Fiziev's range before the crowd-fuelled counter-striker finds his rhythm, the finish could come before any home-crowd factor kicks in.
What We Were Watching For
- The opening two minutes — Torres's entire gameplan is destroying opponents early; every extra minute Fiziev stays upright is time for his timing to develop and for the home crowd to lift him.
- Fiziev's spinning techniques — his wheel kicks and back kicks have ended UFC fights, and Torres's straight-line aggression creates the exact angles Fiziev has always exploited.
- Fiziev's composure — 1-4 in his last five going in, fighting in front of a home crowd that expects a win; can he suppress that pressure and execute a disciplined gameplan?
- Torres's ground game — virtually untested in MMA; if Fiziev clinches to slow Torres's pace, can Torres respond with anything other than striking?
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