Rafael Fiziev tasted victory for the first time in three years at UFC Baku on Saturday night.
Fiziev secured a unanimous decision over Ignacio Bahamondes in his hometown of Baku after a back-and-forth affair, with all three judges scoring the contest 30-27 in his favour.
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Fiziev started slowly, but he established his dominance towards the end of the fight to slap Bahamondes with his first defeat since August 2023.
He was clearly the favoured fighter throughout the entire bout, as those in attendance at Baku Crystal Hall erupted when Fiziev was announced as the winner.
The victory over Bahamondes was Fiziev’s first UFC win since he stopped Rafael Dos Anjos in July 2022.
‘Ataman’ went into UFC Baku on the back of three successive defeats in the promotion, albeit those losses came at the hands of No. 3 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje, and Mateusz Gamrot.
The 32-year-old Azerbaijani fighter has now cemented his status as the No. 11 ranked lightweight in the promotion, and will now only be looking up for his next fight.
After an energetic but largely dull first round that witnessed both lightweights try and figure out one another, Bahamondes got the second five minutes underway by shooting for a single on Fiziev early.
Fiziev, who possesses elite wrestling skills, escaped easily and proceedings remained at the same pace.
The home fighter was then successful with his first takedown as momentum started to shift in his favour.
Fiziev was establishing his dominance in the third and final round, but both men found it difficult to land on one another.
The Baku man’s lead left hook proved a problem as time went on for Bahamondes, who needed a finish in the final few minutes to win the fight.
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In a dramatic ending, Fiziev kept welcoming Bahamondes to the feet in order to get the finish.
Fiziev couldn’t end the bout in style but held on to secure a fairly convincing unanimous decision win.
Bahamondes had asserted ahead of UFC Baku that a victory over Fiziev would put him in a ‘great position’ to fight a top 10 ranked lightweight next.
The unranked lightweight would have jumped ahead of his Azerbaijani opponent in the rankings, ahead of names like Michael Chandler and Benoit Saint Denis.
But Bahamondes will have to prove he can mix it up with the very best to get back there.
The 27-year-old from Chile came through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, having fought across various regional and national promotions in his youth.
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UFC Lightweight Rankings
Fiziev on the up
Champion: N/A
- Arman Tsarukyan
- Charles Oliveira
- Justin Gaethje
- Max Holloway
- Dustin Poirier
- Dan Hooker
- Mateusz Gamrot
- Paddy Pimblett
- Beneil Dariush
- Renato Moicano
- Rafael Fiziev
- Michael Chandler
- Benoit Saint Denis
- Grant Dawson
- Joel Alvarez
He has since won six of his eight fights in the promotion, solidifying his position as a top contender at 155 lbs with a first-round submission win over Jalin Turner in his last outing at UFC 313 in March.
Turner, 30, retired after the defeat, and detailed struggles with mental health in the aftermath.
Fiziev also fought on the UFC 313 card in Las Vegas, having stepped in at short notice to contest a rematch with Gaethje.
Elsewhere at UFC Baku, Welshman Oban Elliott suffered the first defeat of his career in the promotion to Seokhyeon Ko, while fellow Brit Melissa Mullins was also defeated on the preliminary card.
Top heavyweight contender called out Ciryl Gane after his split decision win over Rizvan Kuniev on the main card too.