UFC Baku had some pretty interesting fights, but it won’t be wrong to say that the fun didn’t start until we got to the main card. After all the fights in the prelims went to the judges, the main card injected some life into the Azerbaijani crowd when their own, Nazim Sadykhov, registered the first finish of the night, with a knockout win. However, in the next fight, another Azerbaijani fighter competed and made his debut against Myktybek Orolbai, but he could not produce the same result.
Tofiq Musayev is a pretty experienced fighter with more than two dozen professional fights in the game, and he’s got quite a fan base in his native country. Although he’s been fighting for some time, Musayev was always looking to make his way into the UFC, which he claimed was “one of my unfinished dreams.” Well, he achieved his dream as the fans were hyped to see the veteran on his UFC debut, but he could not make the most of it, thanks to Myktybek Orolbai.
Initially, Musayev showed really good takedown defense as Myktybek Orolbai tried to put pressure on him with his wrestling. In fact, the 35-year-old showed an impressive way of avoiding getting taken down. But before the first round came to a close, Orolbai got hold of Tofiq Musayev’s left arm and locked in a Kimura. As he squeezed his hand, the debutant tried to survive the last few seconds of the opening round.
In the end, Musayev would succumb to the pain and even scream while enduring the pain before giving up and tapping out as the crowd’s cheers uncomfortably died down in the 25,000-capacity Baku Crystal Hall. Myktybek Orolbai returned to the winning column after losing his last fight against Mateusz Rebecki and even registered his sixth career submission victory and second in the UFC. For Tofiq Musayev, he’ll have to open his account in his next fight.
SILENCES THE CROWD WITH THE SUBMISSION!
Myktybek Orolbai gets the tap in the final seconds of round 1!
[ #UFCBaku | LIVE NOW on ABC ] pic.twitter.com/wdco4xppgo
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2025
Despite having more fights than Myktybek Orolbai, the bright lights of the UFC ultimately came into effect for Tofiq Musayev, who saw his UFC debut spoiled. Well, this win was most likely to happen because Orolbai had really put in the work in training for this particular matchup. Here’s what he had to say.
Myktybek Orolbai had a ‘surprise’ for Tofiq Musayev
Even though Tofiq Musayev was competing in his first UFC fight, Myktybek Orolbai did not want to take any chances, given that the 25-year-old has more fights than him in his record. As such, he took the appropriate steps, and the Kyrgyz fighter revealed that he had been training for this fight for over three months. During those three months, Orolbai planned to surprise his opponent, which he did with his submission win.
“We were preparing for a long time for this fight. For at least three months. We knew he’s a great fighter. So, this was a little surprise we prepared for him for a long time,” Myktybek Orolbai told Michael Bisping during the post-fight Octagon interview. Well, this was an impressive win, and could compel Dana White to set the Kyrgyz fighter up with top contenders, since he made quick work of a debutante.
The UFC Baku win marks Myktybek Orolbai’s third UFC win in his total of four fights. With a 75 percent winning rate, it will be interesting to see who he fights next. It may not affect him in the rankings because the fight was deemed a catchweight after both fighters missed weight. Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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