Fiziev blindsides Torres, Ennis unifies at 154

Rafael Fiziev saved his Baku main event with the kind of finish that travels on a loop: a spinning wheel kick 15 seconds into Round 2, landed after Manuel Torres had already impaired his vision with a jab. 1 Boxing had the bigger belt movement. Jaron "Boots" Ennis stopped Xander Zayas in seven rounds to unify the WBA and WBO 154-pound titles, and Liam Paro outlasted Lewis Crocker in Brisbane to win the IBF welterweight belt. 23

The next seven days are lighter on UFC. There is no UFC card scheduled between June 29 and July 6, so the live combat-sports focus shifts to Abdullah Mason's WBO lightweight title defense against Albert Bell in Cleveland on July 4. 45

Fiziev entered UFC Fight Night 280 as the No. 11 lightweight and stopped No. 15 Manuel Torres with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches at 0:15 of Round 2 at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. 6 The finish matters because of the setup. Fiziev later said a Torres jab had left him with double vision, so he closed one eye and threw the kick anyway: "I didn't see anything. I opened my two eyes, I didn't see anything, like everything double." 1

The win moved Fiziev to 14-5 overall and 8-5 in the UFC, ending a rough 1-4 stretch. Torres fell to 17-4 and 5-2 in the UFC, with all four career losses coming by stoppage. 1 Fiziev used the post-fight moment to ask for Charles Oliveira and the BMF belt: "I want to fight BMF maybe, because we already have some story with Charles." 1

The co-main corrected an easy mix-up from fight-week shorthand: Shara "Bullet" Magomedov, not Abus Magomedov, beat Michel Pereira by unanimous decision in the middleweight co-main, with all three judges scoring it 29-28. 6 Shara Magomedov improved to 17-1 and 6-1 in the UFC, while Pereira fell to 31-15 and 10-6 in the promotion. 10

UFC Baku finished with nine stoppages in 13 bouts, including five KO/TKOs and four submissions. 10 The bonus structure matched that finish rate: four $100,000 Performance of the Night awards went to Fiziev, Almabayev, Yakhyaev, and Daniil Donchenko, while five $25,000 finish bonuses went to Matheus Camilo, Abus Magomedov, Nursulton Ruziboev, Kaan Ofli, and Tahir Abdullayev. 11 No Fight of the Night was awarded, and the total bonus payout was $525,000. 11

Yakhyaev left with the most direct prospect line. The unbeaten light heavyweight moved to 10-0, with nine stoppages and eight first-round finishes, then said: "Next time fight will be more short. Be ready guys. I think I'm ready for Top 10, Top 5, doesn't matter." 13

A.J. McKee beat previously undefeated Salamat Isbulaev by unanimous decision in the PFL San Diego featherweight main event at Pechanga Arena, with all three judges scoring it 30-27. 7 McKee used wrestling, takedowns, and top control across three rounds, nearly finishing from mount with elbows late in Round 3. 8 McKee improved to 25-2 and moved to 3-0 since returning to featherweight, while Isbulaev dropped to 10-1. 7

Liz Carmouche submitted Viviane Araujo with a guillotine at 2:07 of Round 2 in the women's flyweight co-main event. 8 Rob Wilkinson stopped Abraham Bably by TKO at 3:23 of Round 2 after losing the first round on the cards, and Alexander Shabliy beat Alfie Davis by unanimous decision, 30-27 on all cards. 14 The prelims went five-for-five on finishes, with Khasan Magomedsharipov, Jena Bishop, Sarvarjon Khamidov, Shannon Clark, and Cobey Fehr all ending their fights inside the distance. 8

Ennis' move to 154 pounds is now a belt-level move, not just a weight-class experiment. He dropped Zayas in Round 1 with a straight left after switching southpaw, weathered a dangerous Round 3 that ESPN described as a "Round of the Year candidate," dropped Zayas again in Round 5, then ended the fight with a body shot knockdown in Round 7. 2 Referee Harvey Dock waved it off at 1:49 of Round 7 after the third knockdown. 9

Ennis is now 36-0 with 32 knockouts and holds the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles after previously winning unified belts at welterweight. 9 Zayas suffered his first defeat and fell to 23-1. 2 Ennis still graded himself harshly afterward, saying, "I was being lazy inside, that's me, I have to sharpen that up." 15 He also said he wants the rest of the division: "I'm here to be undisputed in this weight class so it doesn't matter who is next because I'll fight them all." 9

Zayas did not frame the corner stoppage as a controversy. He said, "They are here to let me live another day tomorrow. I knew it was the right decision if they made it because it was time." 9 Eddie Hearn later said Zayas has a rematch clause, which keeps the rematch option alive even as Ennis talks about undisputed fights. 16

Paro's win over Crocker had a different shape: fast start, survival, tight cards. Paro beat Crocker by unanimous decision in Brisbane to win the IBF welterweight title, with BBC reporting all three cards at 115-113. 3 Paro worked behind the southpaw jab early, then had to survive a late Crocker push after a left uppercut opened a severe cut over Paro's left eye in Round 11. 3 Bad Left Hook reported one scorecard at 116-112, so the cleanest read is that every source agreed on a Paro decision while differing slightly on the exact scoring line. 17

Paro improved to 28-1 and became the first Australian-born boxer since Jeff Fenech to win world titles in multiple weight classes. 3 Crocker fell to 22-1 in the first defense of the title he won in Belfast in September 2025. 3 Paro said, "I had so many people telling me I couldn't, what now? I want all the big fights now Down Under. I want it all." 3

No UFC event is listed for the June 29 to July 6 window; Paramount+'s schedule and CBS Sports' UFC schedule both point from UFC Baku to UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 on July 11 in Las Vegas. 419 That leaves Mason vs. Bell as the main live card for the coming week.

Mason is 20-0 with 17 knockouts, a 22-year-old southpaw from Cleveland making his hometown debut as a world champion. 20 Bell is 28-0 with nine knockouts, an orthodox 33-year-old from Toledo who replaced Joe Cordina after Cordina was denied a U.S. visa because of pending assault charges in the United Kingdom. 20 Bell was already training for a July 18 IBF eliminator against Andy Cruz, so this is a short-notice title shot rather than a cold call-up. 20

The matchup is not a pure showcase on paper. Mason has the power edge at 17 knockouts in 20 wins, while Bell has 165 pro rounds to Mason's 71 and a six-foot frame with a spoiler style. 22 Scott Christ at Bad Left Hook put the danger plainly: "Bell's spoiler style and height is something Mason will have to change gears on in preparation." 20 Odds still opened with Mason as a -350 favorite and Bell at +250. 23

Two UFC items stay on the radar even without a card this week. Conor McGregor said on The Ariel Helwani Show that he has two fights left on his UFC contract: Max Holloway on July 11 and another date in April 2027. 24 CBS Sports lists Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman for UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City on July 18, while Paramount+ still lists that slot as TBD vs. TBD, so that headliner remains unconfirmed across schedules. 419