Middleweight finishers Brunno Ferreira and Ikram Aliskerov will fight on the main card of UFC Baku this Saturday in Azerbaijan, and Brazil’s “Hulk” believes Aliskerov, while still a dangerous opponent, doesn’t deserve all the hype he’s getting.
Aliskerov has won four of five since joining the UFC, including a trio of first-round knockouts over Warley Alves, Andre Muniz and Phil Hawes. The only losses on his 19-fight MMA record came to Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev before he became a UFC fighter.
โI think (his hype) is a little overblown,โ Ferreira told MMA Fighting. “This will be my 10th fight in the UFC, and I’ve faced guys whose hype is much more justified than him. Fighters with better skills, more dangerous opponents and bigger names. So I think the hype is a little exaggerated. However, he is still a dangerous fighter. But this is the style of fighting that everyone knows, the Russian style.”
Ferreira has won six of his last nine Octagon appearances, defeating the likes of Gregory Rodriguez, Marvin Vettori and Armen Petrosyan. He was originally scheduled to face Aliskerov in July 2025, but the Russian was eventually replaced by Jackson McVey, who lost by armbar in the first round.
โI had enough time to study it last year, and I had enough time to study it again now,โ Ferreira said. “When you look at his opponents, the high-level guys that he fought, he lost to them. The two big names that he faced, he lost to both of them. I consider myself a strong challenge for him, a very established name in this division. I will come with a well-trained, well-prepared arsenal to once again show my work and prove, once and for all, to anyone who still doubts that I can reach the top.”
Only one of Ferreira’s 18 MMA fights ended in a decision, and Aliskerov scored 12 of his 17 victories in the sport by stoppage. Ferreira calls himself a “different athlete” compared to him in July 2025 and vows to capitalize on the opportunities given to him on Saturday. Since then, the Russian talent has only fought once, winning by decision over Jung Yong Park in October 2025.
โIn combat, capabilities are important,โ Ferreira said. “I have an arsenal of submissions and the strength in my hands to stop him. Everyone knows I hit hard. I only need one clean shot, like Whittaker and Chimaev did. I believe he doesn’t have the strongest chin and that has already been shown in his fights. So we prepared for every step of the game. I will fight where I need to, but I believe all I need is one clean shot and he will go down.”
โ(Aliskerov) showed a lot of difficulty against a guy who is, letโs say, average compared to the level of this division,โ he added. โI know he was coming back from injury and everything that comes with it, but to me heโs still a fighter with a name and a lot of hype.โ
โThe Hulkโ enters UFC Baku hoping to bounce back from a first-round knockout loss in his rematch with Gregory Rodriguez in March, but said he feels โat peaceโ and without a weight on his shoulders despite the major setback.
โThe loss to RoboCop forced me to mentally reset and fix some things that I needed to fix,โ Ferreira said. “A true warrior, a true athlete, has to learn from both mistakes and successes and make the necessary adjustments. And that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’m always looking for something new, always trying to develop my style, improve my wrestling and bring all that knowledge to MMA. So when I look at myself going into this fight, I can honestly say that I’ve always been a good fighter, but now I see myself at a higher level.”
“My body, mind and spirit are aligned. My technique is sharper and my mistakes are corrected,” he continued. “I look at myself and think, ‘Man, I don’t have to be afraid to do what I do best.’ I did judo, jiu-jitsu, boxing and Muay Thai and did everything that needed to be done.โ