Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is putting together an important lightweight battle for the upcoming UFC Vegas 48 mixed martial arts (MMA) event on Feb. 19 at APEX in Las Vegas, featuring No. 6-ranked Rafael Dos Anjos taking on No. 11-ranked Rafael Fiziev.
That’s according to a report from Instagram account Full Violence.
Dos Anjos (30-13) tried to reinvent himself at 170 pounds and for a hot minute, looked to be on his way to a second world title. Then he ran into a couple of world-class wrestlers and that spelled the end of the Brazilian’s promising welterweight future.
“RDA” returned to lightweight with a split-decision win over Paul Felder in Nov. 2020.
Fiziev (11-1) got a rude welcome to UFC when Magomed Mustafaev kicked him into the phantom zone in April 2019. Since that debut loss, “Ataman” has been nothing short of unstoppable, racking up five straight wins with two highlight-reel knockouts.
A victory in “Sin City” could put Fiziev atop a very short list of lightweight title contenders.
UFC Vegas 48 will also feature light heavyweight bruiser Johnny Walker, who looks to slug his way back into the win column when he collides with once-beaten 205-pound prospect Jamahal Hill. Elsewhere on the card, Ilir Latifi and Alexander Romanov hook ‘em up in heavyweight action.