Rafael Fiziev needed a big performance and he got one in front of a home crowd.
Fiziev faced surging lightweight contender Manuel Torres in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Baku card. After a competitive first round, the Azerbaijan native came out like a man on a mission in Round 2, landing an incredible spinning wheel kick to drop Torres.
“Ataman” followed up with vicious ground-and-pound to seal the victory, and receive a raucous ovation from his home crowd.
Check out the finish below.
The official time of the stoppage was 0:15 into the second round.
Round 1 saw both fighters have a bit of success, with Fiziev even scoring a couple of takedowns. Torres kept the round close, and capped it off with a nasty jab that definitely got the attention of his opponent. That shot only seemed to anger Fiziev, who ended the fight shortly after the action resumed.
Fiziev (14-5) entered the fight on a two-fight skid, and 1-3 in his past four, including two losses to current undisputed lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. In his previous appearance, Fiziev was stopped by Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 in January. After the victory, an emotional Fiziev called for a shot at the “BMF” championship.
Torres (17-4) made it out of the first round for just the first time in his UFC run, and just the second time in his entire career. It was the second promotional defeat for the Mexican standout.
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