Meet Rafael Fiziev, UFC Las Vegas 79 standout who could cross paths with Charles do Bronx

R. Fiziev (right) defeated R. Dos Anjos (left) at UFC Las Vegas 58. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFC

R. Fiziev (right) defeated R. Dos Anjos (left) in the UFC Las Vegas 58. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFC

Sixth place in the lightweight rankings (up to 70,3kg), Raphael Fiziev returns to the octagon this Saturday (23), when he faces the Polish Mateusz gamrot in the main fight of UFC Las Vegas 79. In search of resuming the path towards the elite of the division led by Islam makhachev, Fiziev is seen as one of the main exponents of stand-up fighting on the Ultimate roster and a strong candidate to challenge for the belt in the near future.

Before reaching a prominent position in the largest MMA organization in the world, however, Raphael Fiziev grew up in a small village, suffered bullying upon arrival in the big city, collected titles in Muay Thai and worked as a police officer in Kyrgyzstan. O SUPER FIGHTS tells a little about the story of the athlete who may soon cross the path of Charles of the Bronx in the lightweight division.

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From 'bullying' at school to world titles in less than five years

At 16, Raphael Fiziev I already collected titles in Muay Thai (Photo: Instagram)

Raphael Fiziev was born in Korday, Kazakhstan in March 1993 to an Azerbaijani father and a Russian mother and spent his childhood helping his father herd cows and bulls in the village.

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At the age of 11, he moved with his parents to Kyrgyzstan, more specifically to the country's capital, Bishkek, to start his school life. The boy quickly got a reality check, being bullied on his first day at school.

Seeking revenge, Fiziev enrolled in muay thai without knowing that he would be changing his destiny and in less than five years he was already collecting world titles at amateur level.

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“I was born in Kazakhstan. I grew up in a village and helped my father herd the cows and bulls. We moved from the village to a big city, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The first day I went to school, some of my classmates beat me. A week later I started training Thai boxing, because if someone hit me, I wanted to get back. Two months after starting training I won a silver medal. In 2007 I was world champion. In 2009, runner-up. In 2011, champion again. And soon after I started my professional career”, reported the fighter during Ultimate's 'Countdown' for the UFC 286.

Frustration in the police and move to Thailand

Raphael Fiziev lives and trains in Thailand. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @rafaelfiziev

After graduating from school, Raphael Fiziev He chose to follow in his father's footsteps and become a police officer in Kyrgyzstan, without neglecting training and fighting. Having graduated from the local police academy, Fiziev became frustrated with his profession and, supported by his father, opted for yet another change of scenery, heading to Thailand, where he still lives today, with the aim of improving his skills and pursuing his dream. to fight in the UFC.

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“When I was studying at the police academy, I still trained, fought and watched the UFC. When I finished the academy, I had some problems with the police, because the police in Kyrgyzstan are not about justice. You don't know where your career is going. Some of my colleagues, with whom I was very close, are in jail now because of the country's rules. It's not like here. That's why I made the decision to go to Thailand and see if in the next five years I could make it to the UFC. If I didn't arrive, I would go back to working as a police officer”, revealed the fighter in an interview with 'BT Sport'.

Career in the UFC and challenge to Charles do Bronx

Raphael Fiziev faced Justin gaethje No. UFC 286. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @rafaelfiziev

Raphael Fiziev He began his professional career in MMA in 2015, at the age of 22. After a devastating start to his career, with five knockouts and one submission in six fights, he was hired by the UFC, where he suffered his first defeat in his debut against Magomed Mustafaev.

The setback didn't seem to have shaken Fiziev, who went on a six-fight winning streak, including names like Renato Moicano, Bobby Green and former champion Rafael dos Anjos, climbed the rankings and quickly became one of the top prospects in the lightweight division.

On the rise and looking for the next step in his career, Fiziev arrived to challenge Charles from the Bronx for a fight in Brazil, but was ignored by the Brazilian and ended up facing Justin gaethje and suffering the second defeat of his career, in March of this year.

Religious intolerance motivated Fiziev to change nationality

R. Fiziev with the Azerbaijani flag in UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Despite being born in Kazakhstan, Raphael Fiziev For most of his career, in both Muay Thai and MMA, he represented the flag of Kyrgyzstan, a country to which he moved with his family as a child. This, however, has changed recently.

Devotee of Shiism, the second largest branch of Islam, Raphael Fiziev He went on to represent Azerbaijan, his father's home country, claiming that he and his family were targets of religious intolerance in Kyrgyzstan.

In the fight against Rafael dos Anjos, in July last year, the fighter became the first Azerbaijani representative to enter the Ultimate octagon.

Fiziev has a decisive duel with Gamrot with an eye on the lightweight elite

This Saturday (23), Rafael Fiziev faces the Pole Mateusz gamrot and seeks, in addition to recovering from the defeat suffered against Gaethje, to remain close to the lightweight elite, which today with names like Charles of the Bronx, Dustin poirier, Justin gaethje e Michael chandler, in addition to the champion Islam makhachev.