UFC Baku boasted yet another six-fight main card on Saturday. The other half of the 12 fights were on the undercard which ended up having absolutely no finishes.
UFC Baku was the card of the Contender Series fighter as it seemed like most of the losers on the main card were alumni members of the show. The main event of UFC Baku featured a highly anticipated and much delayed showdown between the former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill, and a former title challenger, Khalil Rountree Jr. Lots of competitive and exciting bouts to make on this edition of losers matchmaker.
Jamahal Hill
Khalil Rountree Jr. dropped Jamahal Hill several times en route to a unanimous decision victory over the former light heavyweight title holder. Jamahal Hill is now on a three-fight losing skid since losing his belt to Alex Pereira in April of last year. Hill entered the fight ranked at #4 in the division while his opponent was ranked at #7.
A fight against Carlos Ulberg, who Hill was matched up against in June of last year, until that fight was cancelled, no longer makes a lot of sense.
However Dominick Reyes would offer a good matchup as the pair share similar lengths, striking styles, and ages.
Reyes is riding a three-fight win streak. Only problem with this matchup is that Reyes last fought in April and it was a first round KO. Reyes is likely looking for a fight right now. So, the timing likely wouldn’t match up unless Reyes would be willing to wait for Hill to heal up. This fight would not only be meaningful but could easily headline a Fight Night card. Guaranteed to be a violent fight as well, with Hill and Reyes both jostling to reestablish their dominance at 205lbs.
Hill’s next fight: Dominick Reyes
Ignacio Bahamondes
Rafael Fiziev dominated Ignacio Bahamondes in all aspects of mixed martial arts on his way to a unanimous decision victory in the co-main event of UFC Baku. Fiziev entered the fight ranked at #11 in the lightweight division while Bahamondes was unranked. Considering the circumstances, maybe it was just a bit too much too soon for the 27-year-old. The loss snapped a three-fight first round bonus-winning streak for Bahamondes. Lots of momentum lost.
Bahamondes has a few options moving forward as the lightweight division is a deep pit of capable fighters. A case could even be made for him to take on Nazim Sadykhov who had an excellent performance earlier on the card. All a matter of how aggressive he/the UFC brass would like to be. A good matchup to kind of regain his footing would be against the winner Chase Hooper vs Alexander Hernandez. Unfortunately, the timing wouldn’t be the greatest for that fight as it’s taking place at UFC 319 on August 16. If Ignacio can swing being on the shelf for a little while, this is the fight to make. 25-year-old Chase Hooper is riding a five-fight win streak including three finishes. Hernandez is coming off of winning two straight. That’s a big fight-especially for Chase.
If there is a big statement made in that fight on the 16th then a fight against a guy like Ignancio, who just tried to break into the rankings, could make sense. This fight could be a co-main event on a Fight Night card or high on the undercard of a PPV. Winner of that would obviously fight for a ranking.
Bahamondes’s next fight: Winner of Chase Hooper vs Alexander Hernandez
Rizvan Kuniev
Curtis Blaydes leaned heavily on his grappling and grit to win a razor-close split decision against Rizvan Kuniev on Saturday. It was quite the UFC debut for Rizvan Kuniev, a two-time Contender Series winner. Blaydes is currently ranked at #5 in the UFC’s heavyweight division, so it was undoubtedly an impressive showing for the unranked and debuting Kuniev. Who definitely had his moments in the fight.
Serghei Spivac would be a good fighter for Kuniev to face next. Serghei is ranked at #9 in the heavyweight division. Spivac last fought at UFC 316 earlier in the month losing a unanimous decision to now #7 ranked, Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Spivac has lost three of his last four fights. This would be an interesting middle of the pack fighter to test the newcomer against. Kuniev showed on Saturday that while he has capable grappling, he is also a threat on the feet. A matchup against Spivac would give Kuniev another opportunity to display that- as it’s what you need to be successful in today’s heavyweight division.
Kuniev’s next fight: Serghei Spivac
Tofiq Musayev
Myktybek Orolabi came out with a vicious pace and got the submission finish in the first round against the experienced newcomer in, Tofiq Musayev, at UFC Baku. An eight-fight veteran of the RIZIN promotion, Tofiq defeated Patricky Pitbull in 2019 to win the RIZIN lightweight grand prix.
Even at 35 years old, and despite the outcome of his debut, Tofiq needs to be given competitive matchups because of his history and record (22-6). A solid litmus test could be a matchup against Uros Medic. Uros is 4-3 with the UFC since coming off the Contender Series in 2020. Medic has lost two of his last three and had a fight against Khaos Willimas cancelled on June 7. The timing could work on this as Khaos went ahead and fought on the 7th. Medic was also submitted by Orolbai in the second round of their bout in 2023. Uros is a very fun striker that has never heard the final bell, win or lose, in any of his pro MMA fights. This would be a fun one for fans, and good to establish a little bit of UFC clout in an extremely crowded division.
Musayev’s next fight: Uros Medic
Nikolas Motta
Nikolas Motta and Nazim Sadykhov put on an exciting back and forth fight that ended with Motta getting folded on Saturday. The bout won all the bonus money for UFC Baku. Motta is now 3-3, 1 NC within the UFC since being signed off the Contender Series in 2020.
Let’s keep the good times rolling with Motta and give him another fun matchup. He will undoubtedly need some time to recover after that fight, so timing is of the essence for this matchup. The winner of Terrance McKinney vs Viacheslav Borschev could be a solid option. Those two are scheduled to complete on June 28 at UFC 317, so that’s one box checked (timing). McKinney is 6-4 with the UFC, a Contender Series alum, and has won two of his last three. Win or lose, McKinney has never heard the final horn sound for the duration of his UFC career. Borshchev is 3-4-1 in the UFC and an alumnus of the Contender Series. Viacheslav has lost two of his last three but always bring a high action, high output fight style.
No matter who wins here, the fight against Motta is an easy potential fight of the night. Could be on the main card of a fight night card as well.
Motta’s next fight: Winner of Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev
Bogdan Grad
Bogdan Grad fell to Muhammad Naimov by way of unanimous decision to kick off the main card of UFC Baku, Saturday. Grad is a two-time Contender Series competitor that made his UFC debut in February of this year with a bonus-winning finish over Lucas Alexander. Grad is now 1-1 with the promotion.
A good matchup for Grad would be against the loser of Danny Silva vs Kevin Vallejos. That fight goes down on August 2 so the timing wouldn’t be too bad. Silva is also a former Contender Series competitor that has gone 2-0 within the UFC. Danny was last in action on March 1 with his split decision win over Lucas Almedia. Kevin is also a two-time Contender Series competitor and won his UFC debut in March with his first-round stoppage of Seung Woo Choi. Whoever loses this bout will have their first UFC loss just like Grad as well as having a similar path and timeline. Makes sense to pair them up.
Grad’s next fight: Loser of Danny Silva vs Kevin Vallejos
