Preview: UFC Baku ‘Hill vs. Rountree’

Lightweights
Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5, 6-2 UFC) vs. Rafael Fiziev (12-4, 6-4 UFC)
UFC Baku Betting Odds Betting Odds: Bahamondes (-125), Fiziev (+105)

Fiziev was the most obvious expected addition to the UFC’s debut in Azerbaijan, as he’s been proudly representing the country while being one of the lightweight division’s most exciting fighters. Fiziev’s UFC debut in 2019 went far from what was planned, as he quickly got knocked out by Magomed Mustafaev, but that proved to be a minor speed bump as “Ataman” then reeled off six straight victories. During that time, Fiziev looked absolutely electric. A practiced and creative striker, Fiziev showed an impressive ability to flow within his fights, reacting to his opponents to land huge moments of offense, often scoring a knockout in the process.

That approach also came with some obvious drawbacks, as it’s an energy-intensive style that has caused Fiziev to flag at points, but he’s also proven effective at getting second and third winds to put his imprint on a fight, even if there are some clear moments where opponents can take the fight over while Fiziev recovers. Fiziev’s currently in the midst of a three-fight losing streak, though Justin Gaethje being too much of a hurdle to climb in two of those fights is completely understandable. Even then, both were nip-tuck efforts that could’ve gone Fiziev’s way and didn’t do much to hurt his stock, particularly since Fiziev took their rematch on short notice while also returning from a massive knee injury that ended his fight against Mateusz Gamrot. Fiziev’s homecoming fight here is against Chile’s Bahamondes, who has his best chance yet at a massive breakout victory.

It’s easy to get excited about Bahamondes, who has a massive 6-foot-3 frame for a 155-pounder along with some striking skill and durability, but he’s had some ups and downs during his five years under the UFC banner. Bahamondes dropped his UFC debut to the 5-foot-8 John Makdessi, which helped drive home some of the issues in Bahamondes’ typical approach. Bahamondes hasn’t historically leveraged his size beyond using it as a tool to intimidate his opponents, as he’s been a fairly dedicated pressure fighter that’s willing to eat offense in the hopes of overwhelming his foes. That’s worked a whole lot more often than it hasn’t, but Bahamondes’ two UFC losses to Makdessi and Ludovit Klein showed that opponents capable of eating damage themselves and willing to meet Bahamondes head-on—even while being the much shorter fighter—can find a ton of success as Bahamondes marches onto their shots.



To his credit, Bahamondes does seem to have adjusted things a bit coming out of the loss to Klein in 2023. Bahamondes effectively played matador and knocked out the much wilder and more aggressive Manuel Torres, then leaned on his underrated grappling skills to tap Jalin Turner in March. But while Bahamondes is as ready as he’s ever been for a test like Fiziev, this still does seem like the Azerbaijani’s fight to lose. Bahamondes should be forced to lead at some point, and while the Chilean is dogged and dedicated, Fiziev’s combination of speed and reflexes should be enough to come out ahead in most exchanges. Add in that Fiziev is willing to add in some wrestling from time to time, which has proven effective in slowing down Bahamondes, and he should be able to get back in the win column. The pick is Fiziev via decision.

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Hill vs. Rountree
Bahamondes vs. Fiziev
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The Prelims