UFC Baku went down yesterday (Sat., June 27, 2026) inside Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan, which saw Rafael Fiziev deliver a highlight-reel knockout win over Manuel Torres in the main event of the evening (see it again here). In the co-main event, Shara Magomedov defeated Michel Pereira after a 15-minute battle, while Asu Almabayev submitted Charles Johnson in the third and final round of their Flyweight bout (replay here).

Winner: Rafael Fiziev
Who He Should Face Next: Dan Hooker

Fiziev could enter the Top 10 following his explosive win over Torres, which could set him up for a fight against Hooker, who is currently seeded No. 9 at the moment. “The Hangman” is hungry for a win after dropping his last two, and he would be more than happy to exchange with “Ataman.” As impressive as Fiziev’s win was, I can’t justify putting him up against someone ranked higher at the moment. If a fight against Hooker doesn’t work, then perhaps putting Fiziev against the loser of the upcoming bout between Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett is in order.

Winner: Shara Magomedov
Who He Should Face Next: Roman Dolidze

Magomedov secured his second straight win after edging out Pereira in a 15-minute affair to improve to 6-1 under UFC’s banner. I wouldn’t mind seeing him matched up against Dolidze next. Dolidze is currently ranked No. 14 in the Middleweight division, but he is on a two-fight skid. That said, he would still be a great test for “Bullet,” who is knocking on the door of a Top 15 spot.

Winner: Asu Almabayev
Who He Should Face Next: Kavanagh vs. Royval winner

Almabayev is now on a three-fight win streak after securing an impressive submission win over Charles Johnson (see it again here). Now, “Zulfikar” will look to take on and defeat a higher-ranked foe to improve his position in the Top 10. Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Brandon Royval are set to face off at UFC 329, so I wouldn’t mind seeing Almabayev face the winner of that bout.

Winner: Ikram Aliskerov
Who He Should Face Next: Abus Magomedov

Aliskerov has now won three straight to improve to 5-1 inside the Octagon after defeating Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision. As for Magomedov, he was also victorious in Baku by submitting Michał Oleksiejczuk in the first round (see it again here), improving to 4-1 in his last five fights. That said, why not pit them up against each other? Both are fighting and scratching to crack the Top 15, and they are each on a great run at the moment, so let’s lock them in the cage to see who comes out on top.

Winner: Matheus Camilo
Who He Should Face Next: Grant Dawson

Camilo won his second straight after by knocking out Nazim Sadykhov in the first round (see it again here). The 25 year-old Brazilian contender is now 2-1 inside the Octagon, and has a ways to go before he starts getting paired up with the heavy hitters of the 155-pound weight class, one of the deepest in the promotion. A fight against Dawson sounds good for his next challenge. Dawson is coming off a big win over Mateusz Rebecki at UFC 328, so he should be ready to get back into the swing of things around the same time Camilo would.