Despite not being the headliner or even the co-main event, UFC Baku turned into the Nazim Sadykhov show. The Azerbaijani-American lightweight contender (11-1-1) stole the spotlight with a performance that had fans on the edge of their seats. Fighting on the main card in front of an electric hometown crowd inside Baku’s Crystal Hall, ‘Black Wolf’ faced Nikolas Motta and delivered a statement.

At 4:17 of the round, the Azerbaijani standout unleashed a devastating TKO finish, igniting the arena and proving why he’s a rising threat in the division. Though ‘Iron’ didn’t get the win, his gritty effort earned respect. Both fighters gave it their all — and were rewarded accordingly. Their war earned Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors, along with six-figure UFC paychecks for their efforts on UFC on ABC 8.

With Baku now firmly stamped on the UFC’s global map, Nazim Sadykhov isn’t wasting a moment chasing his next big challenge. Riding the momentum of a two-fight win streak, he’s setting his sights on enemy territory in hopes of pushing his professional record to 12-1-1. As shared in his recent interview with senior journalist Ariel Helwani and reported by MMA Orbit on X,

“Nazim Sadykhov tells @arielhelwani that following a hometown victory at #UFCBaku, he’d now like to go to enemy territory against either Benoit Saint-Denis at #UFCParis or Manuel Torres at #NocheUFC. 👀🔥”

UFC Paris is currently taking shape, with organizers planning its return to the Accor Arena later this year. While Dana White & Co. has yet to finalize Nazim Sadykhov’s next opponent, they have already confirmed one high-stakes matchup. The headliner will reportedly feature two top-tier light heavyweights between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho , each aiming to stake their claim as the next title challenger. In the meantime, ‘Black Wolf’ has set his sights on making another statement in Paris.

Nazim Sadykhov is looking to surpass UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov built one of the most legendary legacies in MMA, hanging up his gloves undefeated at 29-0 in 2021. His incredible streak has fired up a fresh batch of hungry fighters looking to match or even outdo that iconic achievement. One of the rising stars to keep an eye on is the unranked lightweight contender Nazim Sadykhov. Even though he hasn’t cracked the UFC’s top 15 just yet, the Azerbaijani-American is already eyeing a showdown with #12-ranked Benoit Saint-Denis.

A victory over the French standout could not only catapult Nazim Sadykhov into the rankings but also stretch his professional win streak to 12. Still, the 31-year-old got his sights set on something way bigger than rankings. In a chat with UFC’s E. Spencer Kyte before UFC Baku, ‘Black Wolf’ shared his thoughts on the mentality fueling his unbeaten streak and his aspirations for the future:

“It’s something that crept up out of nowhere, but now I defend it like it’s my turf,” Nazim Sadykhov said. “I am now a fighter with an 11-fight (12 after UFC Baku) unbeaten streak. That’s an impressive record; those are rare in MMA. So I’m looking to keep growing that and see how far it can go. Let it be a 30-fight unbeaten streak and then retire.”

Nazim Sadykhov has laid it all on the line — he’s not just after rankings, he’s gunning for greatness. But is a 30-fight unbeaten streak really in the cards? At 31 and still flying under the radar, the path forward is gonna be a tough grind. Most fighters start to hit the brakes by the time they reach 36, which means our American contender has a tight five-year window to rack up 18 more straight wins — a seriously tough challenge, especially in the UFC’s loaded lightweight division.

Can he beat the odds, keep leveling up, and remain undefeated through battles, injuries, and top-tier competition? What’s your take? Is this dream within reach, or just a pipe dream? Let us know what you think in the comments!