Rafael Fiziev gave his home fans the ending they had been waiting for.
Headlining UFC Baku, “Ataman” delivered a spectacular second-round knockout of rising Mexican standout Manuel Torres, snapping his recent skid and sending the partisan crowd into a frenzy at the National Gymnastics Arena in Azerbaijan.
The opening round was fought at a blistering pace, with both lightweights willing to stand in the pocket and trade. Fiziev mixed up his attack early, landing kicks and even surprising Torres with a timely takedown.
Straight to work
— UFC (@ufc) June 27, 2026@RafaelFiziev vs Manuel Torres
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“El Loco” quickly returned to his feet and found moments of success of his own, catching Rafael Fiziev with a clean punch during an entertaining back-and-forth exchange.
Manuel Torres tage Fiziev right at the end of Round 1
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 27, 2026
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Despite Torres ending the round with a sharp jab, the momentum shifted dramatically once the second frame began. Just seconds into the round, Fiziev unleashed a spinning back kick that crashed into Torres and sent him stumbling backward.
Sensing his opportunity, the Azerbaijani favorite immediately poured on the pressure with a barrage of punches, connecting with uppercuts and hooks that dropped his opponent to the canvas.
A few follow-up strikes later, the referee stepped in to wave off the contest just 15 seconds into Round 2.
SPINNING HEEL KICK INTO GNP
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 27, 2026
Rafael Fiziev blows the roof off of #UFCBaku
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With the finish, Rafael Fiziev improves to 8-5 inside the Octagon and 14-5 as a professional. The victory also ends a rough run in which “Ataman” had gone just 1-4 in his previous five outings and marks a successful rebound from his loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 earlier this year.
Image: @ufc/Instagram 
