Shorouk Express 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 19. This is my first
time in Azerbaijan—a country I’ve always heard great things
about—and my experience in Baku has confirmed it. Everything here
is organized at an exceptionally high level, said the guest of
honor at UFC Fight Night Baku—renowned American fighter of Georgian
origin, Merab Dvalishvili, Trend reports.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the event, Dvalishvili praised
the organization of the event and shared his admiration for
Azerbaijani cuisine. The Georgian-American fighter also noted that
Azerbaijan and Georgia are neighboring and friendly countries, and
I’m truly happy to be here.
“I think that hosting UFC in Azerbaijan is a major achievement
for the country, and he expressed hope that a similar event could
one day be held in Georgia, though he acknowledged that would be a
challenging goal. I wish all Azerbaijani athletes good luck in
their upcoming fights. Azerbaijan has always had strong fighters,
including those competing abroad. Today, the country can be proud
to have three athletes in the UFC. One of them is my friend, Nazim
Sadykhov. We trained together in New York, and I was there for his
debut fight. We’re now training in Las Vegas, and we’ve prepared a
surprise for everyone. You’ll see it when Nazim enters the
octagon,” Dvalishvili said.
He also highlighted the strong interest in the event from
Georgia, noting that tickets from Tbilisi and Batumi to Baku sold
out quickly as many sought to attend the landmark tournament.
Regarding the headline bout between former UFC light heavyweight
champion Jamahal Hill and title contender Khalil Rountree,
Dvalishvili said, “They are both great fighters. I’ve been friends
with Hill for a long time, and I train in the same gym as Rountree.
It’s hard to pick a favorite—I wish both the best of luck.”
Merab Dvalishvili currently holds the UFC bantamweight title and
ranks second in the promotion’s official pound-for-pound list.
For the first time, the UFC Fight Night tournament will be held
in Baku on June 21. The event at Baku Crystal Hall will feature 12
fights, six in the main card and six in the preliminary card. The
main event of the UFC evening in Baku will be the fight between
former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and former title
contender Khalil Rountree. The second most significant fight will
take place in the lightweight division between Azerbaijani Rafael
Fiziev and Chilean fighter Ignacio Bahamondes. Also entering the
octagon will be representatives of Azerbaijan Nazim Sadikhov and
Tofig Musayev, who will face Brazilian Nicolas Motta and
Kyrgyzstani Myktybek Orolbay, respectively.
UFC Baku Fight Night Program
Preliminary card: fights start at 20:00 (GMT +4):
1. Featherweight: Irina Alexeyeva (5-2-0, Russia) vs. Klaudia
Sigula (6-2-0, Poland)
2. Welterweight: Ko Sok Hyun (1-0-0, South Korea) vs. Elliott
Oban (12-2-0, Wales)
3. Heavyweight: Hamdi Abdel Wahab (6-0-0, Egypt) vs. Muhammad
Usman (11-4-0, Nigeria)
4. Featherweight: Melissa Mullins (7-1-0, England) vs. Daria
Zheleznyakova (9-2-0, Russia)
5. Middleweight: Ismail Naurdiev (24-7-0, Morocco) vs. Park
Chung Yong (18-6-0, South Korea)
6. Flyweight: Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2-0, Russia) vs. Maksum Azat
(17-1-0, Kazakhstan)
Main card: fights start at 23:00, in the following order:
7. Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov (12-3-0, Tajikistan) vs.
Bogdan Grad (15-2-0, Austria)
8. Lightweight: Nazim Sadikhov (10-1-1, Azerbaijan) vs. Nicolas
Motta (15-5-0, Brazil)
9. Heavyweight: Curtis Blades (18-5-0, US) vs. Rizvan Kuniev
(12-2-1, Russia)
10. Lightweight: Tofig Musayev (debut, Azerbaijan) vs. Myktybek
Orolbay (13-2-1, Kyrgyzstan)
11. Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0, Azerbaijan) vs. Ignacio
Bahamondes (17-5-0, Chile)
12. Light heavyweight: Jamahal Hill (12-3-0, US) vs. Khalil
Rountree Jr. (14-6-0, US)
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