If UFC Atlanta , last Saturday (14), ended with Kamaru's victory in the main fight, UFC Baku , this Saturday (21), also started with a victory for the Usman family. Younger and heavier brother of the former welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg), Mohammed Usman defeated Hamdy Abdelwahab in a heavyweight bout (up to 120,2 kg) and ended the Egyptian's undefeated streak in professional MMA.
After a poor start to the fight, in which he even swayed after a blow from Abdelwahab, Usman aligned his strategy and dominated the fight in the following rounds, with a lot of movement, to win the fight, in a comeback, by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
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With the result, Mohammed Usman recovered from a two-fight losing streak and won for the fourth time in the UFC octagon. On the other hand, Hamdy Abdelwahab suffered the first defeat of his career, which previously consisted of six wins and one no-contest.
Mohammed Usman starts off badly, but changes strategy and wins in a comeback
Immediately after the glove touch, Hamdy Abdelwahab landed a powerful kick to Mohammed Usman 's lead leg , almost causing him to lose his balance. The Egyptian followed up with a clean jab to the Nigerian's face. After a relatively calm round, Abdelwahab picked up the pace and landed a hard left hook on Usman. The Egyptian continued to pressure the Nigerian until the final stretch of the round, when he landed another powerful right-handed punch, staggering his opponent just before the bell rang.
The second round began in the same vein as the first, with Hamdy Abdelwahab circling Mohammad Usman and landing a hard punch. The Egyptian closed the distance and attempted a takedown for the first time, but the Nigerian escaped. After a brief interruption due to an accidental finger poke, it was Usman's turn to hurt Abdelwahab with a precise straight punch. The Nigerian attempted a blitz, but quickly lost momentum. Moments later, it was the Egyptian's turn to land a clean straight punch. In the final stretch of the round, Usman landed some jabs while circling the octagon, staying out of his opponent's striking range.
After struggling in the second round, Hamdy Abdelwahab started the third and final round with greater impetus, closing the distance and pressing Mohammed Usman against the cage. The Nigerian circled well, returned to the center of the octagon and landed a good right hand to the Egyptian's face. Abdelwahab continued moving forward and working on variations of his boxing, while Usman struck even while moving backward, mainly with straight punches. The Egyptian tried to corner Usman against the cage, but the Nigerian escaped by running and returned to the center of the octagon. In the final moments, Mohammed Usman connected with a precise right hand to Hamdy Abdelwahab 's face , who felt it and remained cornered until the final bell.
Dariya Zhelezniakova gets revenge and beats Melissa Mullins in rematch
Dariya Zhelezniakova defeated Melissa Mullins at UFC Baku (Photo: Twitter/UFC News)
The fourth fight of UFC Baku featured a rematch in the women's bantamweight division (up to 61,2 kg). Defeated in their first encounter, while still outside the UFC, Dariya Zhelezniakova got her revenge and defeated Melissa Mullins by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). With great dynamism and precision in her stand-up fight, the Russian inflicted significant damage to the British fighter's face and controlled the fight to secure the victory.
With this result, the 'Iron Lady' recovers from her defeat against Argentinian Ailin Perez last September and achieves her second victory in the organization.
On the other hand, Melissa Mullins is unable to follow up her victory over Klaudia Sygula and continues to alternate between positive and negative results in her Ultimate career.
Klaudia Sygula surprises and dominates 'Russian Round'
Klaudia Sygula defeated Irina Alekseeva at UFC Baku (Photo: Twitter/UFC News)
In the first women's fight in UFC history in Baku, Azerbaijan, Klaudia Sygula defied expectations and dominated 'Ronda Russa' Irina Alekseeva to win by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a bantamweight bout (up to 61,2 kg). More precise and impactful on her feet, the Polish fighter punished the Russian for most of the 15-minute fight and won easily.
The victory at UFC Baku was Klaudia Sygula 's first in the organization. The Polish fighter had debuted with a loss to Melissa Mullins in November of last year.
On the other side, Irina Alekseeva suffered her second consecutive defeat in the octagon. The Russian also came from a loss to Melissa Mullins in her last appearance, in October 2023.
Tagir Ulabenkov suffers but beats Azat Maksum in controversial decision
Tagir Ulanbekov defeated Azat Maksum at UFC Baku (Photo: Twitter/UFC News)
Valid for the flyweight division (up to 56,7 kg), the second fight of UFC Baku thrilled the audience in the capital of Azerbaijan. After three very eventful rounds, Tagir Ulanbekov defeated Azat Maksum by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27). Despite being a strong favorite for the fight, the Russian had many difficulties dealing with the dynamism and impactful takedowns of the Kazakh fighter, who made him work hard for the victory. The result was even heavily contested by the audience in the arena immediately after the announcement.
Controversial or not, Tagir Ulabenkov secures his fourth consecutive UFC victory and defends his 12th position in the flyweight rankings. Azat Maksum , on the other hand, suffers his second consecutive defeat and hasn't won since his debut in the organization in July 2023.
UFC Baku Results
Date: June 21, 2025
Time: Starting at 13 PM (Brasilia time)
Location: Baku Crystal Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan
How to watch: SUPER LUTAS LIVE in real time and UFC Fight Pass (entire card) online.
MAIN CARD
Light heavyweight (up to 93kg): Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Lightweight (up to 70,3kg): Rafael Fiziev x Ignacio Bahamondes
Heavyweight (up to 120,2kg): Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Catchweight (up to 73,8kg): Myktybek Orolbai x Tofiq Musayev
Lightweight (up to 70,3kg): Nazim Sadykhov x Nikolas Motta
Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Muhammad Naimov x Bogdan Grad
PRELIMINARY CARD
Middleweight (up to 77kg): Oban Elliott vs. Seokhyeon Ko
Average weight (up to 83,9kg): JunYong Park x Ismail Naurdiev
Bantamweight (up to 61,2kg): Dariya Zhelezniakova defeated Melissa Mullins by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2kg): Klaudia Sygula defeated Irina Alekseeva by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Tagir Ulanbenkov defeated Azat Maksum by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight (up to 120,2kg): Mohammed Usman defeated Hamdy Abdelwahab by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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