Azad Asgarov, President of the Azerbaijan MMA and Grappling Federation, has assessed the chances of Azerbaijani athletes who will compete in the "UFC Fight Night" tournament, which will be held today at the Baku Crystal Hall.
The head of the organization gave a statement to "Report" about this.
He said that he believes Rafael Fiziyev will win in the match against Chilean Ignacio Bahamondes:
"I believe that Rafael Fiziyev will definitely win. If he doesn't win, he probably won't forgive himself. I have no doubt about Fiziyev's strength.
I see strong potential in Nazim Sadykhov. This is my personal opinion. He is an athlete who will rise to higher levels. I have fought a lot myself before, and I can see that Sadykhov is promising for the future. Nazim will win in matches that many will be surprised by. His height also allows him to defeat his opponents. I expect good results from Nazim in the match with Brazilian Nicolas Motta. I think he will surpass his opponent. Because when Nazim Sadykhov fights, the opponent gets tired quickly.
Tofig Musayev is an experienced athlete. Everyone knows his fast fights. His hands and feet are very active. He defeats many opponents with his speed. I believe it will be like this this time as well. Although it is impossible to understand the fighting style of his Kyrgyz opponent Mytkybek Orolbai. He shows a different fight every time he enters the octagon. In any case, we wish all three of our fighters success."
A. Asgarov said that Azerbaijan has always emerged honorably from the competitions it has hosted:
"Our state always supports sports. Since Mr. President Ilham Aliyev is close to sports, we always feel his attention and care. Previously, our country hosted the European Games, the Islamic Solidarity Games and other prestigious competitions. UFC is also one of the world's largest organizations. It is also a tournament that is the focus of the whole world. Tourists will come to Azerbaijan from different places, our country and city will be recognized. We, as a country, have always been remembered for our high organizational skills."
It should be noted that the preliminary fights at the competition to be held in Baku Crystal Hall will start at 20:00, and the main matches will start at 23:00. In the main match of "UFC Fight Night", US representatives Jamal Hill and Halil Rountri will face each other.
From Azerbaijani athletes, Tofig Musayev will face Mytkybek Orolbai from Kyrgyzstan, Rafael Fiziyev will face Ignacio Bahamondes from Chile, and Nazim Sadykhov will face Brazilian Nicolas Motta.