Latest news with #Bahamondes
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ignacio Bahamondes promises fireworks against Rafael Fiziev: 'I'm willing to die in there'
Don't blink when Ignacio Bahamondes and Rafael Fiziev fight at UFC on ABC 8. Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Advertisement With Fiziev coming from a muay Thai background, and eight of his 12 professional wins coming by knockout, Bahamondes guarantees a banger of a fight – but plans on showing he's a different level. "Fiziev is a striker just like me," Bahamondes told MMA Junkie. "I think wherever he is good, I'm way better than him. On the ground, after my fight with Jalin Turner, my ground game has been exceeding its limit. My ground game is every time more dangerous, but I would love to take this fight to the three rounds. I would like to dominate my opponent for three rounds so I have time to show everything I got, everything I got in my arsenal, and take him to school for three rounds. "It's going to be fireworks for three rounds, five minutes, whatever the fight lasts. It's going to be fireworks. You know Fiziev doesn't play, he goes to fight, and you know I don't play either. I'm going to stand in there, and I'm going to try and finish him. So, it's going to be exciting to see that fight how it goes because I'm willing to die in there. So, I hope he's there and ready to die, too." A win over Fiziev will give Bahamondes an opportunity to enter the UFC's lightweight rankings, and he has big goals should things go according to plan. Advertisement "I think I deserve a top 10, and after this fight, it's going to be the beginning of my title run," Bahamondes said. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Baku: Ignacio Bahamondes 'willing to die' vs. Rafael Fiziev
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rafael Fiziev feels 'no pressure' entering home country fight at UFC Baku
Rafael Fiziev feels 'no pressure' entering home country fight at UFC Baku Rafael Fiziev is in good spirits going into UFC on ABC 8, especially for a fighter who is trying to battle out of a three-fight losing skid. Although Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has lost only to the elite at lightweight in Justin Gaethje twice and Mateusz Gamrot over the past two years, it's not being overdramatic to label Saturday's co-main event vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) as a must-win. Fiziev, who takes on Bahamondes at Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), however, is not letting any noise get to his head. He doesn't place additional significance on this fight over the rest. "Last three fights I did not get what I want," Fiziev said at Wednesday's UFC on ABC 8 media day. "I did not get my goal. But a fight is a fight. I've been fighting all my life, and I know the last three fights I've lost, but for me, it's just next. "I forget about last three fights and when I step in the cage, I don't have the time to think about the last three fights. I just have time to think about how I can win against this guy, so no pressure about that." If there's any time and place for Fiziev to get back on track, it's this weekend. UFC on ABC 8 is the promotion's first event in Fiziev's native Azerbaijan, and the crowd support will no doubt be lopsided in his favor. With four Fight of the Night bonuses and three Performance of the Night bonuses over his past eight fights, Fiziev has proven himself to be among the most entertaining names at 155 pounds. The results haven't gone his way in his past three trips to the cage, but Bahamondes hasn't proven himself to be the caliber of Gaethje or Gamrot yet. He could use his experience to fight more conservatively and get a win, but Fiziev is instead welcoming a high-risk war with a danger finisher in Bahamondes. "When only one guy in the cage wants to get a bonus, only one guy in the cage wants to make beautiful fights, sometimes it's a little hard to make beautiful fight," Fiziev said. "Because maybe the other guy steps back to be safe more, but when both guys want to make it, I'm just happy for that. Thank you, Ignacio, for that. I hope he's really going to do that and follow through on his words."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ignacio Bahamondes promises fireworks against Rafael Fiziev: 'I'm willing to die in there'
Ignacio Bahamondes promises fireworks against Rafael Fiziev: 'I'm willing to die in there' Don't blink when Ignacio Bahamondes and Rafael Fiziev fight at UFC on ABC 8. Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. With Fiziev coming from a muay Thai background, and eight of his 12 professional wins coming by knockout, Bahamondes guarantees a banger of a fight – but plans on showing he's a different level. "Fiziev is a striker just like me," Bahamondes told MMA Junkie. "I think wherever he is good, I'm way better than him. On the ground, after my fight with Jalin Turner, my ground game has been exceeding its limit. My ground game is every time more dangerous, but I would love to take this fight to the three rounds. I would like to dominate my opponent for three rounds so I have time to show everything I got, everything I got in my arsenal, and take him to school for three rounds. "It's going to be fireworks for three rounds, five minutes, whatever the fight lasts. It's going to be fireworks. You know Fiziev doesn't play, he goes to fight, and you know I don't play either. I'm going to stand in there, and I'm going to try and finish him. So, it's going to be exciting to see that fight how it goes because I'm willing to die in there. So, I hope he's there and ready to die, too." A win over Fiziev will give Bahamondes an opportunity to enter the UFC's lightweight rankings, and he has big goals should things go according to plan. "I think I deserve a top 10, and after this fight, it's going to be the beginning of my title run," Bahamondes said.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC books Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes for Azerbaijan debut event
UFC books Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes for Azerbaijan debut event [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] and [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] aren't wasting much time getting back into the cage as the UFC has booked the two lightweights against each other for an upcoming event. The fight between Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is set for UFC Baku, the promotion's debut in Azerbaijan. It will take place June 21 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, officials announced the booking Friday. It first was reported by Russian X account RedFuryFT. It'll be a homecoming for Fiziev, who grew up in Azerbaijan. Both Fiziev and Bahamondes most recently competed March 8. At UFC 313, Fiziev suffered his third consecutive loss when he dropped a rematch to Justin Gaethje. Bahamondes picked up his third win in a row with a first-round submission over Jalin Turner. The latest lineup for the card now includes:
New York Times
11-04-2025
- New York Times
Two teenage soccer fans die after clashes between supporters, Chilean police ahead of Copa Libertadores tie
Two teenage soccer fans died following a confrontation with police ahead of Colo-Colo's Copa Libertadores match against Fortaleza on Thursday. The incident took place ahead of the game. Police general Alex Bahamondes told TVN police were responding to approximately 150 fans trying to enter Colo-Colo's Estadio Monumental in Santiago, Chile. Advertisement Colo-Colo confirmed in a statement that two of their fans had died while CONMEBOL, the organising body of the Copa Libertadores, said: 'We express our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones.' Bahamondes told TVN that the victims were an 18-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. 'Approximately 150 people entered (the stadium) with a sledgehammer and overflowed the fences surrounding the security perimeter,' Bahamondes said on the Chilean TV station. Bahamondes confirmed the vehicle involved in the incident was 'a police vehicle, which supposedly participated to maintain public order, but there is no certainty about whether that was the case.' Prosecutor Francisco Morales, via Chilean media outlet Emol, said that an investigation has commenced into whether a police car was involved in the deaths. 'At the moment, what is known is that one of the bars crushed these two youngsters with a greater weight, a force that could be attributable to different causes, and all of them are being investigated as possible working hypotheses to determine the final cause of these youngster's deaths,' Morales said. Morales said the 'preliminary information' indicated that the two individuals who died were part of a group 'of at least a hundred', who he claimed 'had attempted to break down the fences in an attempt to gain entry to the Monumental Stadium, and it is in this unclear context, for now, that the incident took place. 'We are working with all the technical resources available, including the cameras on site, to determine how the events unfolded.' Morales added that no arrests have been made although 'the person who was driving the car is currently a suspect', adding there was 'no reason to warrant his arrest at this time'. Despite the incidents ahead of the match, the game kicked off and proceeded normally until its suspension in the 72nd minute, when a group of Colo-Colo fans invaded the pitch amid the situation. (Photos: Javier Torres/AFP via Getty Images)
