Rafael Fiziev

Decisive wins (ignoring judge Chris Lee's bizarre scorecard) against Paul Felder and Renato Moicano were a step in the right direction. A win over a hungry, ...

Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks for UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who's up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out. It's awesome to be fighting one of the OGs of the sport. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including a complete preview of what to expect at UFC Fight Night this weekend below. She wrote on Instagram that the hope is to reschedule the bout for a later date. "I've fought in the UFC for 14 years and I've never backed away from a fight. MMA Junkie reported the target date for the bout is now Aug. 13. Fiziev has cashed check after check following his UFC debut against Alex White. The creative, impactful striker notched performance bonuses against Brad Riddell -- courtesy of a spinning wheel kick knockout -- and Moicano. Fight of the Night honors against Bobby Green and Marc Diakiese proved that Fiziev does not need a spectacular finish to deliver a spectacular fight. I'm always looking to get the other guy out of there. UFC Fight Night will serve as a proving ground to determine which Rafael is ready to make a run at the lightweight elite. Veterans Jared Vanderaa and Chase Sherman slug it out at heavyweight and knockout artists Jamie Mullarkey and Michael Johnson open the festivities at lightweight. "I like the challenge. Dos Anjos (31-13) has looked refreshed since dropping back down to lightweight and recovering from 15 years of wear and tear.

Check out the full results and highlights from UFC Vegas 58: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev.

The onslaught of offense by Mullarkey seemed to exhaust him, as Johnson was the fresher fighter in the final round and used his jab to set up the power punches behind them and clearly take the third. ON THE BUTTON!— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) @RafaelFizievwasn't letting this one go to the judges! Just as the round was coming to a close, Mullarkey rocked Johnson with his own left hand. There was more dogged determination by RDA to finally take Fiziev down and he did, but for merely a few seconds and he didn’t do anything with it. For the first time in his entire MMA career, Rafael Fiziev made it to a fourth round. ‘The Vanilla Gorilla’ followed up with at least 15 big shots to the head and Vanderaa eventually sunk to the canvas for the TKO stoppage. Fiziev worked his way out of that spot and they returned to the center of the cage. RDA continued to pursue the clinch and aim for a takedown but to no avail. A well-timed entry by RDA but Fiziev used the whizzer kick to prevent himself from being put on his back. A left hook and right hand stumbled the former champ to end the opening round. It’s only the third time RDA has ever been knocked out, and for Fiziev he continues his march towards the title with a statement victory over the #7 ranked contender. Rafael Fiziev scored the biggest win of his career in the main event of UFC Vegas 58.

The Sporting News has you covered when it comes to when Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev should make their way to the octagon.

- Rafael dos Anjos vs. The main card will also be available on ESPN. UFC Vegas 58 will take place Saturday, July 9. dos Anjos would win via unanimous decision. The two were supposed to fight in February, but visa issues forced Fiziev out of the bout. His last fight was a knockout victory over Brad Riddell last December.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight action fighters, Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev, collide this weekend (Sat., July 9, 2022) at UFC Vegas ...

If dos Anjos doesn’t opt for that it will be up to Fiziev to keep the fight on the feet, where he has the best chance of winning. If he wins, he staves off that possibility, and might continue to score main events and the chance to build up to another title run. If he believes he can overwhelm Fiziev with strikes and is hoping to show that, then it could be a painful night for the Brazilian. However, if he’s smart and focuses on evading Fiziev’s power early and then testing him on the ground, dos Anjos should prove to be the victor. Will it be dos Anjos or Fiziev who comes out of this one with his hand raised? Indeed, RDA has a total fight time in UFC of seven hours and 33 minutes (second all-time behind Frankie Edgar). Dos Anjos may be on the wrong side of 35, but there doesn’t seem to be any signs that his conditioning has plummeted — he looked great over five rounds last time out versus Renato Moicano. Another key to victory for “Ataman” would be to keep the fight standing. But, his chance of failure in the latter stages of the fight are greatly affected by who he’s facing: a grizzled veteran who has gone five rounds — against stiff UFC opposition — eight times. His talent, and perhaps over confidence on the feet, has seen him get pieced up in the past, but when he does decide to commit to his ground game he can be an absolute terror. The elite wrestlers he’s faced have been able to nullify this threat (by taking advantage of his less than stellar takedowns), but Fiziev is not that. He’s walked to the Octagon 31 times and holds the record for the most unanimous decision wins in UFC history. For this plan to work, though, dos Anjos needs to recognize the threat Fiziev poses in the stand up game. His most recent victory was a “ Performance of the Night”-winning effort over Brad Riddell in Dec. 2021.

Rafael Fiziev picked up the biggest win of his career with a devastating fifth-round knockout to finish former champion Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC Vegas 58 ...

Knowing that dos Anjos needed a finish to win the fight, Fiziev jumped right into the fire again and that’s when he threw another of those left hooks that kept paying off for him all night long. When the lightweights really started trading, Fiziev was consistently finding a home for a left hook that dos Anjos was struggling to avoid. Fiziev cruised through the first three rounds but it appeared he was starting to slow down after dos Anjos started forging a comeback in the fourth.

Rafael Fiziev appeared to be on his way to a solid-but-not-spectacular decision triumph over Rafael dos Anjos. Then lightning struck.

Johnson (20-18, 12-14 UFC) seemed to regain his footing in the final stanza, as he tagged Mullarkey with several hard counters and appeared to have an edge in volume down the stretch. The Aussie regained his bearings and rallied to stagger Johnson with a right hand-left hook combination late in the period — setting the stage for an all-action affair. In the meantime, Turcios offered plenty of demonstrative language and big karate movements, but he failed to find the range on the majority of his attacks. The 34-year-old Canadian countered effectively and landed his fair share of jabs and low kicks to rack up points on the scorecards. After feinting a right knee, “Ataman” sent his foe tumbling to the canvas with a massive left hook. Exhibiting stellar defensive wrestling in addition to his multi-faceted striking arsenal, Fiziev appeared to be build a solid lead on the scorecards heading into the championship rounds as he stuffed multiple takedowns while attacking with punching combinations, kicks to all levels, leaping knees and standing elbows.

Fiziev is only the third person to knockout dos Anjos in the former UFC champion's 45-fight pro career.

But just as it seemed the former champion was finding his groove to start the final round, Fiziev roared back in response, dropping RDA with a big punch and landing two follow-up shots on the ground. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news. Rafael Fiziev asserted himself as the lightweight division's premier Rafael and a rising tide in UFC's shark-infested lightweight division on Saturday night.

LAS VEGAS — The list of contenders in the lightweight division keeps growing. The latest to establish himself as a bona fide contender is Rafael Fiziev, ...

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'Ataman' now owns six-fight winning streak and called for a top-5 opponent in his next outing.

"Yeah, give me someone in the top 5," Fiziev said after the win. With dos Anjos on his back, Fiziev rushed forward and landed a few more punches on the floor, forcing Mark Smith to call a halt to the bout just 18 seconds into the final frame. Clearly down on the cards heading into the fourth, dos Anjos did his best to create opportunities for offense when possible, though Fiziev's pace also remained high on the feet, and his takedown defense was sound. Dos Anjos would continue to hunt the clinch, but Fiziev dealt well with each attempt. With Fiziev gaining steam on the feet, dos Anjos shot forward and was able to get to the clinch, but his opponent defended well once again and pulled away to the center of the cage. Dos Anjos shot forward for a takedown shortly after, but Fiziev defended well against the cage and was eventually able to slip back to the center, where he delivered a few acrobatic knees as the two continued to engage in striking exchanges.

Much like former UFC champion dos Anjos (31-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC), Fiziev expects a tough fight with Gaetheje. He also thinks there's a good chance fans will see a ...

“He’s dangerous also and a big challenge for me. “That’s a good match for you and me. “Yeah, you know I want to fight with Gaethje,” Fiziev told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 39 post-fight news conference.

Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev took place July 9 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Rafael dos Anjos (31-13) and Rafael Fiziev (11-1) collided in the UFC Vegas 58 main event. The ...

- UFC 276 Event T-Shirt Dos Anjos vs. Watch Rafael dos Anjos vs.

Rafael Nadal, come here." Fiziev, 29, might not be comfortable calling other fighters out, but he has no issue as it comes to hurting them in the cage. His ...

"Now we know, and now I want to make a challenge: Who is the best Rafael in the sport? The Brazilian veteran tried to get Fiziev to the floor, but converted just 2-of-16 takedown attempts, according to UFC Stats. "Now we know who the best Rafael is in the UFC," Fiziev said.

Rafael Fiziev continued his ascent of the UFC's lightweight rankings with a blistering, left hook knockout of Rafael dos Anjos 18 seconds into the final ...

"Now we know, and now I want to make a challenge: Who is the best Rafael in the sport? The Brazilian veteran tried to get Fiziev to the floor, but converted just 2-of-16 takedown attempts according to UFC Stats. "Now we know who the best Rafael is in the UFC," Fiziev said.

LAS VEGAS — The list of contenders in the lightweight division keeps growing. The latest to establish himself as a bona fide contender is Rafael Fiziev, ...

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address

Rafael Fiziev is officially a player in the UFC's loaded lightweight division after stopping Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58.

- UFC 276 Event T-Shirt Catch the UFC Vegas 58 post-fight show in the video above. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, José Youngs, and Jed Meshew react to Fiziev’s incredible fifth-round stoppage of Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Vegas 58.

Rafael Fiziev TKO'd Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58. On Twitter, pro fighters reacted to the finish.

Rough ending to a great fight.— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) #UFCVegas58 July 10, 2022 I’m sure they both feel those body kicks they blocked— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) #UFCVegas58 July 10, 2022 Wish we got to see if RDA could recover.

Rafael dos Anjos gives his opinion on the stoppage in his fight against Rafael Fiziev in the UFC Vegas 58.

“I was away for 16 months and a long layoff with two knee injuries and a hernia, too. “The fight was pretty close leading up to the fifth. “He’s a tough dude,” dos Anjos said. “I’ve got to rewatch the tape, but I don’t think so. “I thought he was tired, but he’s dangerous. Immediately afterward, it appeared dos Anjos was protesting the stoppage.

Fighters had a lot to say about the UFC Vegas 58 main event between Rafael Fiziev and Rafael dos Anjos.

The Brazilian wasn’t having none of it !!— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) #UFCVegas58 July 10, 2022 Rough ending to a great fight.— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) #UFCVegas58 July 10, 2022 Wow Congrats to— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) @RafaelFizievgreat win!

Rafael Fiziev challenged two-time title challenger Justin Gaethje after his big win at UFC Vegas 58.

“But I got a finish in the fifth round. It did the trick. Go in and f*** him up, or I’ll f*** you up when we go back to the hotel.’ I think, oh, I need to go to Round 5 and do something. “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. “Nadal is funny ... but Gaethje, if he wants to fight –what camera do I need to [look at]? yeah, this one. “I want a fight with Gaethje, like for real,” Fiziev told reporters at the post-fight presser for UFC Vegas 58.

It was the biggest win of his career, knocking out Dos Anjos, a former lightweight champion after just five rounds in Vegas. After a quick start in the fight, ...

Give me someone in this top five, I’m ready.” Sean Shelby, I believe you give me something nice. However, after a vicious left hook, he had his opponent on the canvas in the fifth round, with the referee having to step in after Fiziev landed another punch with Dos Anjos already down.

Rafael Fiziev scored the biggest win of his career Sunday when he finished Rafael dos Anjos in Las Vegas and then proceeded to challenge Rafael Nadal to a ...

Mixed martial artist Rafael Fiziev thinks he is "the best Rafael" in the sport and he has challenged Rafael Nadal for a duel. Fiziev, 29, fought on Saturday ...

In the UFC, Fiziev has a 12-1 record. After the fight, Fiziev made a challenge to Nadal. "Now I want to make a new challenge who is the best Rafa in the sport. Fiziev won the fight after knocking out dos Anjos in the fifth round by a punch.

Check out the betting odds for tonight's UFC Vegas 58 card, where Rafael Fiziev is favored over Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event.

For an in-depth breakdown of each UFC Vegas 58 fight, check out The MMA Vivisection Podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to our SoundCloud Channel and YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our live video content. Out of Fiziev’s six UFC bouts, three have ended early with the other three resulting in a finish. Will this five-round main event last the entire 25-minutes?