The first pair of bouts booked for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Azerbaijan share a
common theme.
Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight broke the news on Thursday about the
first two matches set for UFC
Baku, which will be held at the Baku Crystal Hall in
Azerbaijan’s capital city on June 27. Both fights will be held at
185 pounds, featuring one Brazilian against a Russian adversary.
The first will
see Michel
Pereira (32-14, 2 NC) take on Sharabutdin
Magomedov (16-1) in a collision that may have rankings
implications at 185 pounds. Pereira confirmed this fight
by sharing an AI-generated video of him in pirate captain garb
forcing Magomedov to walk the proverbial plank.
Advertisement
“Demolidor” put a three-fight skid behind him by claiming a split
decision in a bloody thriller with Zachary
Reese at UFC Houston in February. Before getting his hand
raised, the high-flying Brazilian had succumbed to strikes from
Anthony
Hernandez and Kyle
Daukaus that bookend a decision defeat to Abusupiyan
Magomedov. The former welterweight relocated to 185 pounds in
the midst of a huge win streak, one that saw him pick up eight
straight victories across two divisions.
Russia’s Magomedov put his first career defeat behind him by
claiming a hard-nosed decision victory against Marc-Andre
Barriault in July 2025. Not counting his five triumphs in the
modified-rules league of Nashe Delo, “Shara Bullet” started his
career with 16 straight wins, with 12 of those coming by knockout.
After thumping ex-bantamweight Kushal Vyas
in Thailand in eight seconds, Magomedov punched his ticket to the
Octagon and rattled off four straight victories before running into
Michael
Page. The Brit bewildered Magomedov and handed him his first
loss.
Hulk back to smash again
It will be a relatively short turnaround for the other man from
Brazil currently scheduled for this June 27 lineup. Brunno
Ferreira (15-3) got his chin checked by rival Gregory
Rodrigues in March, putting an end to a three-fight win streak
that included a tapout of Armen
Petrosyan and a decision over divisional staple Marvin
Vettori. “The Hulk,” who has earned 14 of his 15 wins inside
the distance, will be meeting Russian striker Ikram
Aliskerov (17-2) at UFC Baku, as first announced by
Ag. Fight as well on Thursday.
Ferreira went on to confirm this pairing with multiple posts on
social media
shortly after it came to light. While Ferreira lost in his last
time out, foe Aliskerov currently rides a two-fight win streak that
includes a knockout of Andre Muniz
and a three-round unanimous verdict over Jun Yong
Park. The lone blemish dating back to 2019—a knockout to future
champ Khamzat
Chimaev—for the Russian came at the hands of former beltholder
Robert
Whittaker in 2024. Otherwise, Aliskerov has largely landed
kimura submissions or put opponents away with his knees and
fists.