“It’s like all the dreams I set out, they keep getting marked off and in the most amazing way.” Nazim Sadykhov told the UFC before stepping into the Octagon at UFC Baku. Little did he know that his bout against Nikolas Motta would boost his stardom in the most exciting way possible.
The crowd erupts into chaos as Sadykhov secures the first finisher of the evening by knocking Motta out in the second round. Fighting on his home ground in Azerbaijan definitely worked in favor of ‘Black Wolf’. The crowd was already crazy as Sadykhov stepped into the Baku Crystal Hall. But it was Michael Bisping and Paul Felder’s comments that caught the fighting community’s attention.
As the second bout in the main card for UFC on ABC 8 continued, the chants for Sadykhov grew louder. After all, he was the first of the three native Azerbaijani fighters in the event. And he was pretty quick to hurt Motta. But Motta responded in kind and brought Sadykhov down and sent a barrage of punches his way. As the round ended, the scorecard tilted against the local fighter.
But it was in the second round when Sadykhov connected a right hand that folded Motta. And the Azerbaijani fighter continued to send punches that ultimately resulted in his victory by a TKO. The entire arena burst into cheers as the finish greatly impressed the crowd. Even the commentators were left flabbergasted.
‘The Count’ shouted, “Motta goes unconscious. And the crowd goes wild!” Meanwhile, Felder asserted that it was an “unreal” finish. Impressed by Sadykhov’s strength, the former UFC middleweight champion, as he went into the Octagon to interview the victor, said, “That was the best fight I’ve ever commentated.”
This win earned Sadykhov a $ 50,000 performance bonus. And it was arguably possible because of Merab Dvalishvili’s presence in the Azerbaijani star’s corner. As soon as the barrage of punches dropped Motta, the bantamweight champion was overjoyed. He raised his hands high and began celebrating before entering the Octagon to congratulate Sadykhov on his impressive win.
Merab Dvalishvili was overjoyed, bursting with emotion after Nazim Sadykhov’s impressive victory at #UFCBaku pic.twitter.com/kzpa2coCNq
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 21, 2025
But do you know what the bantamweight champion had to say about the strength that Azerbaijani fighters carried? Yes, he actually believes that they have the potential to become champions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Let’s hear it directly from ‘The Machine’.
Merab Dvalishvili praises Azerbaijani fighters long before Nazim Sadykhov secured a KO at UFC Baku
Prior to UFC Baku, Merab Dvalishvili was asked how many years it’d take for a fighter from Azerbaijan to achieve what he has already achieved in the UFC. ‘The Machine’ replied, “It’s a difficult question. There are many strong fighters in Azerbaijan, and three Azerbaijanis will be fighting in the tournament that will take place on June 21. This is already a big event for the country.”
He continued, “We also wanted to bring UFC to Georgia, but it was difficult, it didn’t work out. Outside of Azerbaijan, there are fighters of Azerbaijani origin, and they also represent the country. I think that in the future, a UFC champion will also emerge from your country.”
And that was reflected pretty well in the fight between Nazim Sadykhov and Nikolas Motta. Sadykhov’s victory was also backed by coaches Ray Longo and John Wood. His training with Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling succeeded in bringing him an amazing win. This win made him the first-ever representative of Azerbaijan to secure a knockout victory on his home soil. But were YOU impressed by the KO?
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