UFC Baku Results: Fiziev's Spinning Wheel Kick KO Highlights a Card Full of Grappling Finishes

Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27

The Main Event: Fiziev's Spinning Wheel Kick and What It Takes to Set Up Strikes Like That

Rafael Fiziev's finish of Manuel Torres was the kind of highlight-reel moment that defines a fighter's legacy. Fiziev wobbled Torres with a spinning wheel kick in round two, and once Torres' legs went soft, Fiziev swarmed to ground and pound to complete the TKO at just 0:15 into the second frame. The finish was fast, decisive, and technically a combination of elite striking footwork and the awareness to close distance and finish on the ground when the opportunity appeared.

What often gets underappreciated in a standup finish like this is the role that grappling confidence plays in allowing a striker to follow his opponent to the ground without hesitation. Fighters who lack ground skills tend to hesitate after landing a big shot, afraid of the clinch or of following a stunned opponent into a scramble. Fiziev's willingness to immediately transition to ground finishing work reflects a complete MMA game that includes grappling security. That confidence comes from mats time, specifically the kind of positional drilling and control work that BJJ and wrestling emphasize.

For fans watching Fiziev's finish and wondering how to start building that kind of coordinated striking-to-grappling confidence, the answer is not to become a professional fighter. It is to step on the mat and start learning the fundamentals. Ground awareness, body control, and understanding the difference between a safe and unsafe position are skills that translate directly from recreational jiu-jitsu to the kind of MMA you watched in Baku.

The Submission Clinic: Suloev Stretch, Guillotine, and Rear Naked Choke Broken Down

The Baku card's submission finishes were a showcase of techniques that are core to any serious BJJ curriculum. Asu Almabayaev submitted Charles Johnson with a Suloev stretch in round three. The Suloev stretch is a leg entanglement attack applied from front headlock or guard positions that targets the knee and hip simultaneously by extending the opponent's lower body into a controlled hyperextension. It requires positional understanding and precise body geometry to apply correctly, and it is exactly the kind of leg lock technique that 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, with its no-gi, rubber guard, and leg lock emphasis, dedicates significant training time to.

Abus Magomedov's guillotine choke finish of Michal Oleksiejczuk in the first round at 3:25 showcased one of the most versatile and high-percentage submission techniques in both BJJ and MMA. The guillotine works from the clinch, from guard, and from sprawl positions and can be applied under pressure in transitions. Magomedov's setup likely came from an attempted takedown by Oleksiejczuk, illustrating how a well-timed guillotine can punish a sloppy shot and immediately end a fight. This is one of the first submission families that students in BJJ classes at any level start learning to recognize and apply.

Nursulton Ruziboev's rear naked choke finish came after he used a caught kick to take his opponent down, transitioned to the back, and applied methodical pressure until the choke was deep enough to force the stoppage. The rear naked choke is the single highest-percentage submission in MMA history. Learning to take the back and secure the seat belt grip is fundamental to grappling instruction in every BJJ gym. If you watch a card like Baku and see a rear naked choke three times and still do not know the mechanics, you are missing one of the most learnable finishing tools in the sport.

Why UFC Baku and Events Like It Keep Driving New Students Into BJJ Gyms

Every UFC card that features multiple submission finishes produces a predictable and well-documented pattern: BJJ gym inquiries and trial class bookings increase in the days following the event. People who had a passive interest in combat sports watch a guillotine or a Suloev stretch finish and want to understand it. They look it up. They find a gym. They show up for a free trial class. This is not speculation; it is the consistent experience of gym owners across the country who track inquiry volume around UFC events.

The Baku card was a particularly submission-rich event. Three confirmed submission finishes on a single card is significant. Each of those techniques, the Suloev stretch, the guillotine, and the rear naked choke, is something a brand-new student can begin learning in their first class. You do not need to be an athlete or have prior martial arts experience to start. The vast majority of people who walk through a BJJ gym door for the first time have zero ground experience and figure it out.

10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is the system recommended by this site for no-gi training specifically because its curriculum aligns closely with the kind of guard work, leg locks, and clinch systems you see in MMA. If you want to go from watching the Baku card to actually understanding and building the techniques you saw, a free trial class at your nearest 10th Planet affiliate is the most direct path. Use the gym finder on BJJGyms.org to locate the closest 10th Planet location or any highly-rated BJJ gym in your area.

5 Submission Techniques From UFC Baku You Can Start Learning at a BJJ Gym

Every submission finish you saw on the Baku card traces back to techniques taught in entry-level and intermediate BJJ classes. Here is where each one fits in a standard curriculum.

1. The Rear Naked Choke (RNC): The single most common submission finish in MMA history. Applied from the back position by feeding an arm across the throat and locking it behind the opponent's head. Taught in the first week of instruction at virtually every BJJ gym. Ruziboev's finish in Baku was a textbook example: take the back, establish the seat belt, apply patient pressure until the position is secured, squeeze.
2. The Guillotine Choke: Applied from the clinch, standing, or guard by wrapping an arm around the opponent's neck and applying upward pressure against the trachea or carotid arteries. The high guard guillotine, power guillotine, and arm-in variations each have specific set-ups. Magomedov's finish in round one came from a scramble, illustrating how guillotines punish bad shot mechanics.
3. The Suloev Stretch: A leg entanglement submission targeting the knee and hip from front headlock or butterfly positions. Associated with leg lock specialists and featured prominently in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu instruction. Almabayaev's round-three finish of Johnson demonstrated precise control and patient positioning. Not a white-belt technique but very learnable at the intermediate level.
4. Back Control and Seat Belt Grip: Back control is considered the highest-value position in BJJ and MMA because the person on the back can attack submissions while the person underneath cannot effectively counter-attack. The seat belt grip, one arm over the shoulder and one arm under the armpit, is the standard control system taught in every BJJ back control curriculum.
5. Spinning Wheel Kick to Ground Transition: Not a BJJ technique but directly relevant to the grappling gym: fighters who are comfortable on the ground can follow a big shot into a scramble without fear. The ground and pound portion of Fiziev's finish required him to be confident in a top position under pressure. That confidence comes from drilling positional control on the mats.

Related Guides