Rafael Fiziev kept his winning way going earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 4, 2021) at UFC Vegas 44 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as “Ataman” put a brutal stop to fellow lightweight striker Brad Riddell with a spectacular wheel kick knockout.
This was a matchup of two high-level strikers and that’s exactly what we got. Fiziev was a little more technical with his movement and counter punching, but Riddell’s ferocity and grittiness allowed him to respond with offense. After 10 minutes of back-and-forth action, Fiziev found the opening he was looking for in the third round. As Riddell was trying to circle away and get his back off the cage Fiziev timed a perfect wheel kick that stuck Riddell on the side of the head. Riddell froze and Fizeiv rushed in, but referee Herb Dean had already seen enough.
Check out the video highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
Fiziev, 28, is now the owner of a five-fight win streak in one of the toughest divisions around. “Ataman” has already proven to have some of the best striking at the lightweight level so it will be fun to see what Fiziev will pull out as he sets his sights on the top 10 heading into next year.
For complete UFC Vegas 44 results and coverage click here.