Predicting Fight Night Baku: Fiziev v Torres

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen

Sportz Nation - 6/26/2026

Graphic Credits to UFC via sports.yahoo.com

In our FN Kape v Horiguchi, which you can find here:

Zak went 6-0 in picks with 5 method for 11 points.

Matt went 4-2 in picks with 3 method right for 7 points.

Points To Date:

Zak: 116 (78-45)

Matt: 111 (73-50)

All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/25

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11Rafael Fiziev vs

15Manuel Torres

(Pick 'Em)

Zak Drapeau -

What a war we have in store for this weekend on Baku's shore. For the second summer in a row, Rafael Fiziev will compete in front of his hometown, where he is 1-0 in the past. He will again be facing one of the premier up-and-comers, Manuel Torres, in a Top-15 Lightweight matchup.

Torres has been exciting and vicious in his 4-year UFC run, resulting in a 6-1 record with 6 finishes, all in the 1st round. On the other hand, Fiziev has lost 4 of his last 5 but hasn't gone down in the first round in over 7 years. This fight may come down to whether Fiziev has the toughness and ba**s to stand in front of Torres in the 1st round and not go down. If he does, I think Fiziev weathers the storm and takes Torres into deep waters. Fiziev still has great hands and is only 32 years old, not to mention he's the Main Event in his hometown. As long as Fiziev makes it past the 1st, I think we see Torres slow down in the 3rd, and he falls somewhere in the championship rounds.

Prediction: Fiziev by TKO/KO

Matt Hylen -

This should be a very interesting technical fight that'll likely spur into chaos one way or another. Both Rafael Fiziev and Manuel Torres have a balanced repertoire, so I am looking forward to seeing who puts the pressure on first.

Fiziev is a veteran among veterans; he has fought all the best competition in his career, so his experience is through the roof. He has seen all kinds of styles inside the octagon, so it is unlikely Torres will present something that Fiziev hasn't seen before. When he is on point, Fiziev is one of the best strikers in this division. Yet, his striking defense has been shaky recently, causing this losing skid we've seen from Fiziev over the past few fights.

Manuel Torres is one of those fighters that likes to throw caution to the wind. He is extremely dangerous on the feet with big power. He is either finishing his opponent or getting finished by his opponent, it is as simple as that.

Even though Fiziev is such a tough fighter to figure out, we have seen a defensively liable version of him lately that I think Torres can take advantage of. His power is unreal, he can mix things up on the ground, and ultimately give Fiziev a very hard time in this fight.

Prediction: Torres by TKO/KO

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Shara Magomedov vs

Michel Pereira (Magomedov -400)

Zak Drapeau -

I was so confused when this fight was announced and still am now, but I guess it should be entertaining at the very least. After so much initial hype was stalled by Michael Venom Page, Shara destroyed another top-unranked middleweight in Marc Barriault but then takes on an old Michel Pereira who's new to the division and doesn't get him any closer to a number.

Pereira is 4-3 at middleweight and has only lost to some of the best in the division. In a sense, I think that's why Shara was given this fight, but it doesn't make this fight any less one-sided in my eyes. What should be a technical showing of Shara's skills should be good enough to give him a shot inside the top 15 next and have Pereira's career at a crossroads moving forward.

Prediction: Magomedov by Decision

Matt Hylen -

This is a really fun co main event that could absolutely end in fireworks. Both Shara Magamedov and Michel Pereira are unorthodox strikers that can mix it up on the ground if they wanted to.

In terms of who has the advantage, Magamedov has the edge in my opinion. His striking has improved dramatically since we first saw him in the UFC, becoming a very polished kickboxer that should be overwhelming for Pereira.

Pereira, though being the acrobat of a fighter that he is, has also looked awful in his last couple of fights. Though we could take advantage of Magamedov’s wild style on the feet, his chin isn’t very good anymore.

Overall, I think this could be a war but in favor of Shara. He is the more polished of the two, with arguably more power. I think Magamedov can get this done in style.

Prediction: Magamedov by TKO/KO

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Nazim Sadykhov vs

Matheus Camilo

(Sadykhov -220)

Zak Drapeau -

Another lightweight fight that could easily end in Knockout of the Night. Sadykhov vs. Camilo is a fight between two guys who were expected to become contenders in the division and have fallen short of that billing so far. They could both turn it around and make another run, but it needs to start here. Sadykhov has been in the UFC for 3 years now and seems to have hit that glass ceiling, but Camilo has barely been in a year and will be competing in his 3rd fight.

This fight will come down to who can control where the action goes. Camilo wants to swarm you and rock you to the point you don't even realize he's bringing you to the ground, whereas Sadykhov wants to knock you out with one punch. This fight will come to an inevitable swinging away in the middle of the Octagon moment, and I really like Camilo's takedowns to make the difference. Here's my "upset of the card pick," and I really think it could turn things around for Matheus Camilo.

Prediction: Camilo by Submission

Matt Hylen -

This is definitely an interesting clash of styles in which I believe is a nightmare for Matheus Camilo. Nazim Sadykhov is miles ahead of Camilo on the feet with his kickboxing. He is a heavy pressure fighter that can exploit fighters who aren't specialists in a certain aspect, which I don't think Camilo is. Camilo is a jack of all trades, master of none; he doesn't hold a certain advantage in this fight, but could use that sort of balanced style to give Sadykhov problems.

Even so, Sadykhov is the much more skilled fighter and loves to perform in Baku. I honestly would be shocked if Sadykhov doesn't end up winning this fight.

Prediction: Sadykhov by Decision

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8Asu Almabayev vs

14Charles Johnson

(Almabayev -265)

Zak Drapeau -

Charles Johnson has a big size advantage in this one, even though Almabayev is the heavy favorite. Almabayev is also one of the best wrestlers in the division and will be looking to get Johnson down early and often throughout the fight.

Seeing as how Johnson's two wins in the last year and a half have either been by split decision or VERY controversial judges' decision, this fight being a step up in competition just doesn't fare well for him. Johnson also doesn't have much of a takedown defense and should be on his back for at least one full round. Almabayev really just needs to control him for one round, then outpace him for the others on his way to an easy decision.

Prediction: Almabayev by Decision

Matt Hylen -

I like the step up Charles Johnson is getting, but he is such a weird fighter overall. He will beat these elite level talents, like Lone'er Kavanaugh and Joshua Van, but then lose to lower level talent like Alex Perez. He is extremely inconsistent, but when he is at the top of his game he is just about as good as anyone in this division.

As for Almabayev, it has been a while since we last saw him fight. He is sort of a decision machine, but is a skilled grappler who can drain his opponent's energy within a round or two. He really hasn't lost to anyone except Manel Kape, who is the top contender in the division currently, so I expect this fight to be no different.

Prediction: Almabayev by Submission

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Ikram Aliskerov vs

Brunno Ferreira

(Aliskerov -290)

Zak Drapeau -

Another fight that has a big size advantage this time for Ikram Aliskerov. Aliskerov and Ferreira are both between 16 and 20 in the Middleweight rankings and could be ranked with a win here, but their path does not have an easy road for either man.

Aliskerov is a sambo fighter who uses his grappling to keep the fight standing for the most part, while Ferreira's black belts in Judo and Muay Thai make him one of the most dangerous men in the clinch in the entire UFC. His jiu-jitsu is a real problem as well, and if Aliskerov does anything but keep him at bay, this fight could end in a quick submission.

I already made one upset pick with Camilo at 2-1, and I'm gonna double down with a surprise Ferreira pick at +235 or even spicier, +650 by submission.

Prediction: Ferreira by Submission

Matt Hylen -

Ikram Aliskerov is a very underrated fighter that has flown under the radar after his KO loss to Robert Whittaker. He has bounced back since that loss and has really put together a nice run that deserves recognition. As for Bruno Ferreira, he is one of those guys that has been stuck in the same position for a while and could break out with a win on Saturday.

Looking at their styles, Aliskerov is better just about everywhere. Ferreira is not that hard to hit on the feet, so I expect Aliskerov to get to work right away. He can take the fight to the ground if he has to, but I think Aliskerov can pick apart Ferreira as the fight progresses.

If you're Ferreira, the only hope is that you're able to chin Aliskerov at some point in this fight. We have seen it before with guys with less power than Ferreira, so it is definitely not out of the realm of possibility. He is very solid on the ground, which he could try and utilize, but ultimately I think, in order to win this fight, Ferreira has to clip Aliskerov.

Prediction: Aliskerov by Decision

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Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs

Julius Walker

(Yakhyaev -550)

Zak Drapeau -

Here's one fight I'm DEFINITELY not taking the underdog pick. Yakhyaev is another one of those Light Heavyweights we were talking about last week that is on his way to taking over the division.

His first three fights ended in 30 seconds, 30 seconds, and 3 minutes. Julius Walker is probably the best fighter he's fought so far, but not by much, and I absolutely believe this one ends in a 1st round TKO and a quick day at the office for Yakhyaev, who quite frankly, should terrify EVERYONE at 205.

Prediction: Yakhyaev by TKO/KO

Matt Hylen -

This should honestly be a wipeout in favor of Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev. Yakhyaev is a dangerous prospect who ragdolls every opponent he faces. With Julius Walker not possessing any sort of threat, in my opinion, this should be an absolute cakewalk for Yakhyaev. He is a brilliant submission artist with KO power, so he can pick and choose how he wins this fight.

Yakhyaev is the kind of fighter who you cannot miss anytime he fights. I mean, he wheel-kicked, slammed, and submitted Rafael Cerqueira in 20 seconds. Sure, Julius Walker is a tall and lanky fighter who can manage the distance, but it shouldn't matter against Yakhyaev. Walker got KO'd against Justin Jacoby, lost to Alonzo Menifield, and now will likely finish this trio of extremely difficult fights with a loss as well. Walker has been dealt a horrible hand in the UFC, so it really isn't his fault, but Yakhyaev should dominate this fight the entire way through.

Prediction: Yakhyaev by Submission

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-Z.D.

-Matt Hylen