The UFC's first fight night in Azerbaijan will be an unforgettable event after the incredible fights, along with two showstopping finishes. Here is everything that happened at UFC Baku.
preliminary card
Baku Crystal Hall started off with a Heavyweight clash which saw Mohammed Usman claim an unanimous decision win over Hamdy Abdelwahab, redeeming his two-fight losing streak.
The event followed on with the #12 Flyweight contender, Tagir Ulanbekov, maintaining his position in the rankings after earning a decision triumph over Azat Maksum.
Klaudi Sygula earned her first UFC victory when she went the distance with Irina Alekseeva to win by unanimous decision.
Daria Zhelezniakova claimed long-awaited revenge against Melissa Mullins in a rematch, defeating the English fighter by unanimous decision after losing the first bout by first-round TKO at Ares FC 9.
Jun-yong Park claimed a healthy decision victory Ismail Naurdiev to begin his winning streak, which was mainly due to the Moroccan fighter being deducted two points in round two for kneeing a downed opponent.
The prelims then ended with Seok-hyeon Ko claiming a dominant win against Oban Elliott, making a good first impression on his UFC debut.
main card
The main card began with Muhammad Naimov starting his second win streak in the UFC after going the distance with Bogdan Grad to win by unanimous decision.
Nazim Sadykhov and Nikolas Motta pulled off an incredibly fast-paced two-round war, with the hometown fighter winning by second-round knockout. Both men were awarded a Performance of the Night bonus and the Fight of the Night bonus.
Myktybek Oralbai silenced the Baku crowd when he submitted UFC debutant, Tofiq Musayev, with a Kimura Lock at the end of the first round in enemy territory.
The #5 Heavyweight contender, Curtis Blaydes, did just enough to earn a split decision win over UFC newcomer, Rizvan Kuniev, despite many of the MMA community believing that the Russian had done enough to win the battle.
Rafael Fiziev snapped his three-fight losing streak with an impressive unanimous decision triumph over Ignacio Bahamondes in front of his home crowd, keeping his position at #11 in the Lightweight rankings.
Finally, Khalil Rountree displayed utter dominance against Jamahal Hill, defeating him by unanimous decision after landing two knockdown and numerous leg kicks during the five-round bout.
International Fight Week is the organisation's next focus as UFC 317 takes places on Saturday with two anticipating title fights. Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira challenge for the vacant Lightweight Championship in the headliner, while Alexandre Pantoja defends his Flyweight title against Kai Kara-France in the co-main event.
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
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