Winning the ‘Battle of Rafaels’ at UFC Vegas 58, Rafael Fiziev is now looking to take on two-time lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje in more ways than one.
Following his most recent win, Fiziev playfully called out Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal to determine the best Rafael in all of sports. Taking a slightly more serious tone during the UFC post-fight press conference, Fiziev called out fellow striker Justin Gaethje.
“I want a fight with Gaethje, like for real,” Fiziev said. “Nadal is funny … but Gaethje, if he wants to fight –what camera do I need to [look at]? yeah, this one. …” Fiziev looked directly into the camera and said, “If you want to fight, one more guy with yellow hairs, we need to know who’s the best for you and for me,” he continued. “If you’re ready, if you’re not scared, if you don’t take sh*t, let’s go.”
Rafael Fiziev Calls Justin Gaethje ‘Dangerous’
Fiziev further elaborated on his call out of ‘The Highlight’, complimenting Gaethje for his heavy hands while taking a verbal jab at his “sh*t kicks.”
“I think he makes my face the same like this, maybe more hard,” Fiziev said. “He’s dangerous. He’s a big challenge for me. He has a lot of chance to knock me out, and I have a lot of chance to knock him out. But yeah, that’s a good fight, for fans also. He have sh*t kicks, but he has good power in his hands.”
Now Fiziev is challenging the lightweight contender to a different kind of contest: who has the better nose job. In a post on Twitter, Fiziev tagged Gaethje saying, “Perfect timing. Let’s find out who’s nose job is better.”
Perfect timing
Let’s find out who’s nose job is better
— Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) July 15, 2022
Let’s find out who’s nose job is better 
Justin Gaethje has yet to respond to the Kazakhstani fighter’s callout at UFC Vegas 58 or his nose job throwdown, but fans have been clamoring for a battle between the two inside the Octagon. Now sitting in the No. 7 spot in the rankings following his defeat of Rafael dos Anjos, a win over the No. 3 ranked Gaethje could put Fiziev in pole position for a lightweight title opportunity.