Fiziev Wheel Kick KO Resets Lightweight Order

Rafael Fiziev knocked out Manuel Torres with a spinning wheel kick 15 seconds into the second round of UFC Baku's main event. The win snapped a 1-4 stretch for Fiziev, who said afterward that a Torres jab had left him fighting through double vision. He immediately called for a BMF title shot against Charles Oliveira.

Nine finishes came from 13 bouts, five by knockout and four by submission. Shara Magomedov won the co-main event by unanimous decision. Performance bonuses of $100,000 went to Fiziev, Asu Almabayev (a rare Suloev stretch against ranked opponent Charles Johnson), Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (an eight-second KO of Julius Walker), and Daniil Donchenko. Five other fighters – Matheus Camilo, Abus Magomedov, Nursulton Ruziboev, Kaan Ofli and Tahir Abdullayev – collected $25,000 finish bonuses. No Fight of the Night was awarded.

Almabayev's submission was a rarity in the promotion. Yakhyaev's eight-second finish could lead to Walker's release. Yakhyaev moved to 3-0 in the UFC, all first-round stoppages. Donchenko extended his win streak to three.

Fiziev's path to a BMF title is unclear. Oliveira has expressed interest in fighting Justin Gaethje for the UFC lightweight title. Shara Magomedov called out Israel Adesanya after his win. The promotion has not announced the next fight for any of the Baku winners. The lightweight division remains crowded, with Islam Makhachev as champion and Arman Tsarukyan as the next contender. Fiziev's win likely pushes him back into the top-15 rankings, though he may need another victory before a top-five opponent.