Tag: Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev Discusses Potential Opponents For His Return: ‘A Miracle If I Fight With Dustin’

The #11-ranked UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev recently took to social media to announce that he has already been accepting fights and dates for his return. “Ataman” has been out of action since September last year where his main event clash at the Apex with Mateusz Gamrot unfortunately ended when he suffered a leg injury […]

The #11-ranked UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev recently took to social media to announce that he has already been accepting fights and dates for his return. “Ataman” has been out of action since September last year where his main event clash at the Apex with Mateusz Gamrot unfortunately ended when he suffered a leg injury in the second round.

With his manager reportedly stating that he had agreed a fight for the promotion’s return to Saudi Arabia in February, many fans hoped that this would mean a match-up with Dustin Poirier who has also spoken about wanting to fight early on in 2025 in one of his final Octagon appearances.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Fiziev said that though it would be an honor for him to share the cage with “The Diamond”, he doesn’t think that it is likely to happen.

“Many people talking something about Dustin like I see some in internet but it’s good. If I fight Dustin, of course it’s good. He’s a legend, he’s a former champion. Yeah for me, it’s like a miracle if I fight with Dustin but I’m not sure with this.”

Fiziev said in the interview that he has will accept any date that the UFC offer him and would be open to fighting anybody up or down the rankings to get back in the mix. However, he did have one preferred opponent.

“After my last loss against Gamrot, like after I get surgery, I talk with my manager and I tell him ‘Bro, I want to fight this guy.’ I want a rematch because I still want to feel this pressure, like wrestling pressure and grappling pressure. I still want to fight with elite grappler like him and I still want to check myself against wrestlers like him.”

Rafael Fiziev vs. Dan Hooker? “Fight of the Year contender”

Dan Hooker Rafael FizievRafael Fiziev is calling for a fight with Dan Hooker, and it could potentially give fans one of the…

Dan Hooker Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev is calling for a fight with Dan Hooker, and it could potentially give fans one of the most brutal bangers that we’ve had all year.

Now riding a two-fight skid, Fiziev is far from being the unstoppable hype train decimating his way up the UFC lightweight ladder that he once was. Two losses in a row don’t spell much doom on what has so far been a stellar UFC career, especially considering when they come at the hands of fighters like Justin Gaethje and Mateusz Gamrot.

Still, Rafael Fiziev is undoubtedly looking to get back to a positive trajectory, and a big win over Dan Hooker could be precisely what he needs.

Rafael Fiziev proposes a Dan Hooker fight that oozes with Barn Burner potential

“If me and Mr. Tattoo @danthehangman step into the octagon,” Fiziev began in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I guarantee it’ll be an easy Fight of the Year contender.”

Such a fight would likely be a thriller. Both fighters bring the intensity, and with Dan Hooker in the mix: any fight can turn into an all-out brawl. However, Hooker has recently spoken about his journey and voiced his wishes for rematches with fighters like Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.

So, it will be interesting to see how the UFC’s lightweight division shakes out, and if anybody can separate themselves from the pack and prove a worthy challenger to Islam Makhachev’s throne.

Who do you think would win if Rafael Fiziev and Dan Hooker did fight?

Justin Gaethje responds to Rafael Fiziev’s claim that he ‘ran away for two rounds’ during their UFC 286 fight

Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael FizievJustin Gaethje disagrees with Rafael Fiziev’s assessment of their entertaining clash at UFC 286. During a recent interview with…

Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

Justin Gaethje disagrees with Rafael Fiziev’s assessment of their entertaining clash at UFC 286.

During a recent interview with John Hyon Ko for The AllStar, Fiziev reflected on his fight with Gaethje and accused ‘The Highlight’ of only finding success during their scrap due to an eye poke that severely affected his vision for the remainder of the bout.

“He ran away from me for two rounds!” Fiziev said. “He started to (beat) me only after eye poke, because my eye (couldn’t) see anything. There was a big white circle on my right eye all fight. I didn’t see anything with my right eye. He fought only good after the eye poke and round three when I started to tire.

“But he ran away two rounds. He run, run, run. Yeah, maybe my gameplan was sh*t and I did a lot of sh*t in this fight; didn’t listen to my corner, didn’t follow my gameplan. But still, he ran away for two rounds.”

Gaethje, who walked away from the fight with a majority decision victory and snapped Fiziev’s six-fight win streak, recently reacted to the comments, suggesting that he hit ‘Ataman’ so hard that he forgot the facts of the fight.

“Not a good look here,” Gaethje wrote in response to the clip on X. “I hit him so hard he forgot which eye got poked. Your right eye got torched by my right hand kid.”

Rafael Fiziev came up short in his follow-up fight against Mateusz Gamrot after suffering a leg injury in the second round in September. On the flip side, Gaethje earned a second-straight victory via a highlight-reel-worthy KO of Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 to claim the BMF title.

He puts the bragging-rights belt on the line at UFC 300 on April 13 when he meets featherweight fan favorite and former world champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway.

Rafael Fiziev confirms knee injury suffered at UFC Vegas 79: ‘My ACL said salam alaykum and ran off’

Rafael Fiziev confirms knee injury my acl said salam alaykum UFC Vegas 79Headlining UFC Vegas 79 over the course of the last weekend, lightweight Rafael Fiziev was forced into a second round TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot due to an unfortunate knee injury – and has now confirmed a tear of his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).  Fiziev, who took main event honors for the second time in […]

Rafael Fiziev confirms knee injury my acl said salam alaykum UFC Vegas 79

Headlining UFC Vegas 79 over the course of the last weekend, lightweight Rafael Fiziev was forced into a second round TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot due to an unfortunate knee injury – and has now confirmed a tear of his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). 

Fiziev, who took main event honors for the second time in his Octagon tenure, suffered his second consecutive loss over the course last weekend, dropping a TKO defeat to Polish contender, Gamrot, after he found himself on the wrong side of a close, majority decision defeat to former interim champion and BMF gold holder, Justin Gaethje back in March at UFC 286.

Rafael Fiziev confirms ACL tear suffered in UFC Vegas 79 clash

Now riding a two-fight losing streak for the first time in his professional career, following nose surgery last year, Tiger Muay Thai ace, Fiziev is now set for another extended period on the sidelines, after confirming an ACL tear suffered against Gamrot at the UFC Apex facility.

“My ACL said salam alaykum and ran off,” Rafael Fiziev posted on his official social media. “I will be back. I’m just sad because I had a very great camp, and I was ready to show my best kills.”

I’m sad because it happened only in the second round,” Rafael Fiziev explained. “We have plans, but God has different plans. His plan is always the best.” 

Prior to his loss to former interim lightweight Gaethje, Fiziev had racked up notable Octagon triumphs over the likes of Marc Diakiese, Renato Moicano, Bobby Green, Brad Riddell, and his premiere headliner in the UFC, stopped former undisputed lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos with a fifth round KO win. 

Who would you like to see Rafael Fiziev fight in his return to the UFC?

Rafael Fiziev suffers devastating knee injury in second round against Mateusz Gamrot – UFC Vegas 79 Highlights

Rafael FizievRafael Fiziev suffered an unfortunate knee injury in the second round of his UFC Vegas 79 main event with Mateusz Gamrot. The opening round went pretty much how fight fans expected, with Rafael Fiziev attempting to land heavy shots while Gamrot worked to get things to the ground. Neither fighter was able to impose their […]

Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev suffered an unfortunate knee injury in the second round of his UFC Vegas 79 main event with Mateusz Gamrot.

The opening round went pretty much how fight fans expected, with Rafael Fiziev attempting to land heavy shots while Gamrot worked to get things to the ground. Neither fighter was able to impose their will in the first five minutes, but Fiziev managed to land some solid strikes whilst avoiding the takedown attempts of Gamrot which likely earned him the round.

Tragically, the second round would bring an anti-climactic end to the bout when Fiziev threw a right kick near the two-minute mark. ‘Ataman’ appeared to pop his left knee in the process which immediately sent him crashing to the canvas and grimacing in pain. Gamrot moved in, but the referee quickly recognized that something was wrong and called a stop to the bout less than halfway through the round.

Official Results: Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael Fiziev via TKO (injury) at 2:03 of Round 2.

Check Out Highlights From Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 79 Below:

Rafael Fiziev slams Conor McGregor for ducking USADA testing: ‘He does it because he’s a superstar’

Rafael FizievRafael Fiziev believes Michael Chandler will make easy work of Conor McGregor when the two lightweight greats finally step inside the Octagon. ‘Ataman’ is scheduled for a high-stakes scrap with fellow lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday night as the promotion returns to the familiar confines of The APEX in Las Vegas. Fiziev will be […]

Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev believes Michael Chandler will make easy work of Conor McGregor when the two lightweight greats finally step inside the Octagon.

‘Ataman’ is scheduled for a high-stakes scrap with fellow lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday night as the promotion returns to the familiar confines of The APEX in Las Vegas. Fiziev will be looking to regain some ground at 155 after coming up short against current BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje in his last outing.

As an elite member of the lightweight division, Fiziev often finds himself being asked about some of the division’s top stars, including former dual-world champion Conor McGregor. Discussing the long-gestating scrap between McGregor and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in a recent interview, ‘Ataman’ suggested that Chandler could potentially make easy work of McGregor, so long as he can keep his emotions in check and fights smart.

“Michael and I have the same problem because he also has to control his emotions in the fight,” Fiziev told MMA Fighting. “He has to control it. I think if he starts to control emotions, following the game plan only, he’ll beat Conor, because Conor, he lost the focus. He’s not the Conor from six years ago, five years ago. It’s not [the same] Conor.

“He just has to stay smart, have to stay calm, and I think Michael can win this fight easily just because [Conor] lost the focus. I think if he [gets out of] one round, after, [Chandler will win]. It’s a very interesting fight.”

Rafael Fiziev Accuses Conor McGregor of Using His Star Power to Skirt the Rules

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler recently completed their stint as opposing coaches on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter. The pair were expected to follow that up by stepping inside the Octagon against one another in December for the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year. But after McGregor failed to re-enter the USADA testing pool for a required six months of pre-fight screening, the bout was pushed to sometime in 2024.

To this day, McGregor is still not enrolled in USADA which has become a constant source of frustration for fans and fighters who believe that the Irishman is using his star power to skirt the rules.

“For me, it’s like, it’s crazy, bro,” Fiziev said. “This guy, he’s a superstar, [and] because he’s a superstar, he do whatever [he wants], he don’t need this fight. Now, he fights just for fun, just to stay active.

“It’s still this crazy situation because, How is USADA not testing him? He’s lightweight fighter and you don’t test him. It’s crazy why he can’t do it like that but everybody [else] can, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. But I think he deserves all this sh*t around him, because he’s a superstar, man. If you or me [become a star] like him, I think we can we can do the bullsh*t the same.

“He’s superstar level, that’s why he’s doing this bullsh*t,” Fiziev continued. “But I don’t say if I [become] the superstar, I [would do] the same because I like [there] to be justice. I don’t want to say [it’s] not justice [with McGregor], but yeah, he does it because he’s a superstar.”