Several fighters set to compete at the upcoming UFC event in Baku have started reacting publicly to their appearances in Azerbaijan.
As reported by İdman.Biz, one of the most eye-catching statements came from Michel Pereira, who is due to face Shara Magomedov on June 27. The Brazilian addressed Azerbaijani fans on social media and made it clear he is travelling to Baku not only for victory, but also to entertain.
“Baku, I’m coming! On June 27 in Azerbaijan, let’s put on a show for the fans!” Pereira wrote on social media, adding the hashtag UFC Baku.
Charles Johnson, who will fight Asu Almabayev, has also been actively engaging with fans online. The American asked his followers to predict how the bout would end.
“Tell me now — how will it finish: a stoppage, a judges’ decision or a masterclass? If you guess correctly, maybe I’ll come back to you,” Johnson wrote.
Uzbek fighter Nursulton Ruziboev reacted in a shorter but emotional manner. Ahead of his clash with Andrey Pulyaev, he posted: “June 27, Baku,” adding the religious phrase “In Shaa Allah”.
Another participant on the card, Daniil Donchenko, confirmed that his fight contract had been signed and briefly added: “See you in Baku.”
Particular interest among local fans surrounds the UFC debut of Azerbaijani fighter Farman Hasanov. UFC Europe officially welcomed him to the promotion and confirmed his bout against Eric Nolan for the Baku event.
Other fighters on the card, including Rafael Fiziev, Manuel Torres, Ikram Aliskerov, Brunno Ferreira, Bekzat Almakhan and Jean Matsumoto, have so far mainly limited themselves to reposting UFC promotional material and event posters.
The UFC Fight Night event in Baku will take place on June 27 at the National Gymnastics Arena. The main event of the evening will feature Fiziev against Torres. Azerbaijani fighter Nazim Sadykhov is also scheduled to face Brazilian opponent Matheus Camilo.
