The UFC’s debut in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 21, 2025 has its co-main event set.
As announced by the promotion, lightweight Rafael Fiziev (12-4) will take on Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5) in the Fight Night event’s co-headliner.
Fiziev enters the bout off a loss in a rematch with Justin Gaethje, but remains ranked #11 in the promotion’s 155lb division. The fight against Gaethje ended an extended layoff for Fiziev, who will be the hometown favorite as he hails from Azerbaijan.
While Fiziev has lost three straight fights, two of those losses came against Gaethje, while the third saw “Ataman” fall to a knee injury against Mateusz Gamrot.
Ignacio Bahamondes, from Chile, has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to his action-packed style. He’s won three straight, earned finishes in each of those wins, and picked up Performance of the Night bonuses in each case as well.
A graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2020, Bahamondes is 6-2 in the UFC overall.
UFC Baku takes place at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 21, 2025. The card is headlined by former light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill taking on recent title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. The following match-ups have been reported for the event:
- Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. Nikolas Motta
- Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
- Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Syguła
- Melissa Mullins vs. Dariya Zheleznyakova
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. Park Jun-yong
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
