Brunno Ferreira prepares for UFC Baku clash with Ikram Aliskerov

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Middleweight finishers Brunno Ferreira and Ikram Aliskerov will battle in the main card of UFC Baku this Saturday in Azerbaijan, and the Brazilian “Hulk” feels that Aliskerov, although still a dangerous foe, isn’t deserving of all the hype he gets. Aliskerov won four of five since joining the UFC, including a trio of first-round knockouts over Warlley Alves, Andre Muniz and Phil Hawes. The only losses on his 19-fight MMA record came against Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev, this one before being a UFC fighter. “I think [his hype] is a bit overblown,” Ferreira told MMA Fighting. “This will be my 10th fight in the UFC and I’ve faced guys with much more justified hype than him. Fighters with more skills, more dangerous opponents, and bigger names. So I do think the hype is a little exaggerated. That said, he’s still a dangerous fighter. But it’s that fighting style everyone knows, the Russian style.” Ferreira was victorious in six of those past nine octagon appearances, beating the likes of Gregory Rodrigues, Marvin Vettori and Armen Petrosyan. He was originally slated to face Aliskerov in July 2025, but the Russian was eventually replaced by Jackson McVey — who lost by first-round armbar. “I had plenty of time to study him last year, and I’ve had plenty of time to study him again now,” Ferreira said. “When you look at his opponents, the high-level guys he’s fought, he lost to them. The two big names he faced, he lost to both of them. I see myself as a major challenge for him, a very established name in this division. I’m coming in with a well-trained, well-prepared arsenal to show my work once again 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 via stoppage. Ferreira calls himself “a different athlete” compared to the July 2025 of himself, and vows to capitalize on opportunities given to him on Saturday. The Russian talent only fought once since then, winning a decision over Jun Yong Park in October 2025. “A fight is all about opportunities,” Ferreira said. “I have an arsenal of submissions and the power in my hands to put him away. Everybody knows I hit hard. I only need one clean shot, just like Whittaker and Chimaev did. I believe he doesn’t have the strongest chin, and that’s already been shown in his fights. So we prepared for every area of the game. I’ll take the fight wherever I need to, but I believe all I’ll need is one clean shot, and he’ll go down.” “[Aliskerov] showed a lot of difficulty against a guy who’s, let’s say, average compared to the level of this division,” he added. “I know he was coming back from an injury and everything that comes with that, but to me he’s still a fighter with a name and a lot of hype.” “Hulk” enters UFC Baku looking to rebound from a first-round knockout defeat in a rematch with Gregory Rodrigues in March, but said he feels “at peace” and with no weight on his shoulders despite the rough setback. “The loss to ‘Robocop’ made me reset mentally and fix some things I needed to fix,” 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 did. I’m always looking for new things, always trying to evolve my style, improve my grappling, and bring all that knowledge into MMA. So when I look at myself going into this fight, I can honestly say I’ve always been a good fighter, but now I see myself at a higher level.” “My body, mind, and spirit are all aligned. My technique is sharper and the mistakes have been corrected,” he continued. “I look at myself and think, ‘Man, I don’t need to be afraid of doing what I do best.’ I’ve trained judo, jiu-jitsu, boxing, and muay Thai, and I’ve done everything that needed to be done.”

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Brunno Ferreira believes he needs one punch to stop Ikram Aliskerov