Matches to Make After UFC Baku

The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its debut in Azerbaijan with UFC Baku. The 12-fight card saw the return of former light heavyweight Jamahal Hill as he went up against recent title challenger Khalil Rountree. The card, which aired on ABC and ESPN+, also featured key fights in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions.

Here are five matches to make following UFC Baku.

Khalil Rountree vs. Carlos Ulberg

Rountree (14-6, 1 NC) bounced back nicely from losing his title fight against Alex Pereira. The 35-year-old’s diverse striking, especially his leg kicks, proved to be too much for Hill (12-4, 1 NC), who lost a unanimous decision. “The War Horse” still needs more momentum before a potential title shot is talked about again, so a fight against the dangerous Ulberg would make plenty of sense. At 12-1 and on an eight-fight win streak, “Black Jag” is one of light heavyweight’s most interesting contenders. The New Zealand fighter is also 34, so a title shot would make sense if he could get past Rountree.

Rafael Fiziev vs. Grant Dawson

Fiziev finally stopped a three-fight skid by winning a unanimous decision over Ignacio Bahamondes. “Ataman” has now won seven of his last 10 fights and has only recently lost to Justin Gaethje and Mateusz Gamrot. Still a contender at lightweight, I’m hoping Fiziev (13-4) faces Dawson next. “KGD” holds an impressive 23-2-1 record and is riding a three-fight win streak with Diego Ferreira being his latest victim. Both men are exciting in the cage, so it’s near-guaranteed fireworks between these two talented lightweights.

Related » UFC Baku Round-by-Round Scoring

Curtis Blaydes vs. Ciryl Gane

Blaydes emerged victorious with a split decision from a far tougher than expected fight against promotional newcomer Rizvan Kuniev. Blaydes (19-5, 1 NC) is now 2-1 in his last three, with the defeat coming to current interim titleholder Tom Aspinall. The 34-year-old still has more to prove at heavyweight, although he hasn’t looked his best lately, and I’d love to see him test Gane next. Gane (13-2) is coming off a controversial decision win over Alexander Volkov and is now 2-0 since losing a vacant title fight against Jon Jones. Blaydes has the grappling to potentially upset “Bon Gamin,” while Gane’ striking could provide yet another highlight reel knockout, so it’d be an interesting fight that could easily main event a Fight Night card.

Myktybek Orolbai vs. Nurullo Aliev

Orolbai was unable to make lightweight, but he still managed to impress by submitting Tofiq Musayev with a kimura inside the first round. The Kyrgyzstan native is now 3-1 inside the UFC, with his only loss being a split decision against Mateusz Rebecki. If Orolbai (14-2-1) winds up staying at 155, I’d like to see him take on the undefeated Aliev. The "Tajik Eagle" is 10-0 and has impressed in his first two UFC fights against Joe Solecki and Rafael Alves. Both men are in their 20s, so I’d love to see which fighter can come up with a better gameplan and control the other. They’re both potential prospects, but Orolbai’s penchant for finishes should make this an exciting matchup.

Nazim Sadykhov vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Sadykhov stayed undefeated inside the promotion by finishing Nikolas Motta in an all-out war of a fight. Now 4-0-1 inside the UFC, "Black Wolf" is ready for a step up. A fight against the streaking Ruffy would make sense as the Brazilian is 3-0 and coming off an impressive knockout of Bobby Green. Both men have similar records as Sadykhov is 11-1-1 as a pro, while "One Shot" is 12-1, and they’re both entering their athletic primes. Let’s see which lightweight is one to watch going forward by seeing the two put on an entertaining scrap.