Tag: Rafael Fiziev

UFC’s Rafael Fiziev calls for Mateusz Gamrot rematch, gets response

Rafael Fiziev would love to run things back with Mateusz Gamrot.

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] would love to run things back with [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag].

Fiziev (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since tearing his ACL in a second-round TKO loss to Gamrot in the UFC Fight Night 228 headliner in September 2023.

The lightweight contender recently revealed on X that he accepted a fight, which sparked rumblings of a potential matchup against Dustin Poirier. Fiziev debunked those rumors, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be all in for that fight.

“Many people talking something about Dustin, like I see some in internet but it’s good,” Fiziev told Submission Radio. “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.”

If not Poirier, Fiziev wants to avenge his loss to Gamrot, which led to the first consecutive losses in his career.

“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,'” Fiziev said. “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.”

Gamrot responded, and is open to another five-round matchup.

Whether Poirier, Gamrot, or any top contender, Fiziev is just eager to compete after over a year away from competition.

“I’ve been waiting for so much,” Fiziev said. “Doesn’t matter where, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Antarctica, everything. Doesn’t matter where. I want to fight. Long time, no fight. It’s the first time in my career I so long time I don’t fight. I agree to all dates, doesn’t matter what date. Just from UFC waiting.”

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Dan Hooker dismisses Rafael Fiziev’s callout: ‘I have absolutely nothing to gain from that fight’

Dan Hooker is no longer interested in fighting Rafael Fiziev.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is no longer interested in fighting [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag].

Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) mentioned Fiziev’s name on multiple occasions, but after entering the top five lightweight rankings with a gritty win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 in August, “The Hangman” says that fight doesn’t make sense anymore.

Fiziev (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who’s coming off back-to-back losses, made a pitch to fight Hooker. He hasn’t competed since tearing his ACL in his loss to Gamrot in September 2023.

“If me and Mr. Tattoo @danthehangman step into the octagon, I guarantee it’ll be an easy Fight of the Year contender 💥.”

https://twitter.com/RafaelFiziev/status/1832064172311650706

“I’m not excited for that fight,” Hooker said in an interview with ENGAGE. “The guy’s coming off two losses. He’s been sitting on the shelf. I called him out for the Perth card. I asked him if he wanted to fight on Perth, but he wasn’t ready.

“Now he’s ready, but that ship has long gone, mate. That fight does not excite me. Obviously, it excites him, but I have absolutely nothing to gain from that fight.”

Hooker is seeking big fights. With Arman Tsarukyan touted as No. 1 contender, only three names ranked above him remain: Charles Oliveira who’s booked to rematch Michael Chandler at UFC 309, Dustin Poirier, and Gaethje.

“I’ll be prepared to fight by the end of the year, so whatever comes,” Hooker said. “But obviously looking up. I’m on a three-fight win streak in the top five. The only other guy in the top five on a win streak is Arman, and he’s fighting for the world title, and that’s kind of set in stone.

“There’s the big three in front of me – obviously huge names in the sport, and they’ll be looking to take something off me. So my eyes are definitely looking forward. Oliveira, Gaethje and Poirier are all fighters that are huge names in the division, all ranked ahead of me and coming off of losses. So to get back on a win streak, they’ll obviously be looking to take the momentum that I’ve built.”

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Jalin Turner interested in Rafael Fiziev next: ‘Everybody thinks it would be a great fight’

Jalin Turner thinks a UFC lightweight fight vs. Rafael Fiziev would be a crowd pleaser.

[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] thinks a fight vs. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] would be a crowd-pleaser.

Turner (14-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) boasts a 100 percent finish rate with 10 knockouts – including a Performance of the Night knockout of Bobby Green this past December.

Fiziev (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is considered one of the best strikers at lightweight, with his two most recent wins being bonus-winning knockouts of Brad Riddell and former champion Rafael dos Anjos.

“I want to run back every fight – I want to fight Dan (Hooker) again, I want to fight (Matuez) Gamrot again, but I would like to fight Rafael Fiziev,” Turner told MMA Junkie Radio. “I feel like that would be a good fight. Everybody’s been asking for that fight. Everybody thinks it would be a great fight and I do, too. It’ll be a good striking battle, but anybody ranked higher. I want to fight one of the OG’s.”

Turner, 29, was on the ascent at 155 pounds after five-straight wins, but now finds himself having lost three of his past four, most recently a TKO defeat to Renato Moicano at UFC 300.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out right now,” Turner said on getting back to winning ways. “I just want to take some more time off and just light that fire again, and just fine tune everything because honestly, I just feel like another thing that has to do with it too is I’ve reached another caliber of fighters that I’m competing against so I feel like I have to level up in a sense.

“I feel like when I went on that win streak, before that I had my injury, I had a whole year layoff, and I only fought a year then I had another 10-month layoff. So, I had so much time to grow and adapt so I was already ahead of the competition by the time I was going in front of them. So now, I reached a new caliber so I want to continue that. Take that time off, train, get as best as I can, and then come back and start taking the scalps again.”

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Unfortunate circumstances: 15 unforeseen injuries that ended UFC main events

Injuries are part of the game in MMA, but there’s nothing worse than one ends a marquee UFC fight.

While the term “freak injury” might not be appropriate to use when discussing a sport that is inherently dangerous, 14 UFC main events have ended in unforeseen injuries – broken legs, separated shoulders, eye pokes, etc. – that don’t typically come in the sequence of MMA combat.

Scroll below to see a chronology of UFC main events that ended in that nature.

Note: Injuries sustained on a TKO due to strikes or tapout due to a submission are not included, nor are retirements on the stool due to extended fight damage or exhaustion. Laceration-based stoppages also are not included since they come as an intentional result of the opposition’s attack.

Rafael Fiziev accuses Justin Gaethje of running away in their fight, Gaethje snaps back

Rafael Fiziev thinks Justin Gaethje fought him afraid at UFC 286.

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] fought him afraid at UFC 286.

Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) rallied to edge out Fiziev (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) by majority decision this past March in London. Fiziev claims that a Gaethje eye poke is what caused the tide to turn.

“He ran away from me for two rounds,” Fiziev told The AllStar. “He started to win me only after eye poke, because my eye doesn’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 3 when I started to tire. But he ran away two rounds. He run, run, run. Yeah, maybe my game plan was sh*t and I did a lot of sh*t in this fight; didn’t listen to my corner, didn’t follow my game plan. But still, he ran away for two rounds.”

Gaethje fired back upon hearing Fiziev’s comments.

“Not a good look here. I hit him so hard he forgot which eye got poked. Your right eye got torched by my right hand kid.”

“No switch up. He’s very talented. I think he is making a mistake in not looking forward to the future which can be very promising for him. I’m surprised he is saying this as it was clearly the other eye 🤷‍♂️.”

Since then, Fiziev tore his ACL in a injury TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot this past September in the UFC Fight Night 228 headliner. Gaethje went on to knock out Dustin Poirier to capture the BMF title at UFC 291. He is scheduled to defend his BMF title against Max Holloway April 13 at UFC 300.

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MMA Junkie’s 2023 Fight of the Year: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Check out which epic battle earned MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Year award for 2023.

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best fights from January to December 2023.

As voted on by our entire staff, here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Year.

Honorable mentions

Rafael Fiziev says he suffered torn ACL in UFC Fight Night 228 loss to Mateusz Gamrot

It’ll be a while before UFC lightweight standout Rafael Fiziev is back in the octagon.

It’ll be a while before UFC lightweight standout [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] is back in the octagon.

In a video posted to Instagram on Monday, Fiziev told his followers that he tore his ACL during his second-round injury TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot in the UFC Fight Night 228 headliner. Fiziev didn’t provide a timetable for his return; a typical recovery from a torn ACL is at least eight months.

“I will be back,” Fiziev said. “I’m just sad because I had a very great camp, and I was ready to show my best skills. And I’m sad because it happened only in the second round. … We have plans, but God has different plans. His plan is always the best.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxodtLJP6Wx/?img_index=1

Fiziev (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) suffered the injury on his plant (left) leg as he threw a body kick with his right that was blocked by Gamrot. Fiziev immediately fell to the canvas in pain, allowing Gamrot to rush him with punches that forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight at the 2:03 mark of Round 2.

It was an unfortunate way for Fiziev to pick up his second consecutive defeat following a March loss to Justin Gaethje by majority decision at UFC 286. Prior to his two losses this year, Fiziev was on a six-fight winning streak that dated back to October 2019.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Rafael Fiziev after UFC Fight Night 228 injury TKO loss?

Suddenly, Rafael Fiziev finds himself on a two-fight losing skid and with a big injury to overcome after the UFC Fight Night 228 main event.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Mateusz Gamrot after UFC Fight Night 228 win?)

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]’s night ended early at UFC Fight Night 228 when a knee injury brought an end to his main event with Mateusz Gamrot.

It was an unfortunate end for Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), who saw his leg buckle in the second round of the lightweight contest at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, giving Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) the TKO win.

After putting together a six-fight winning streak at 155 pounds, Fiziev has now lost back-to-back fights after he fell short against Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 in March. To make matters worse, he likely has a tough road to recover ahead, which means sitting on this tough run for the foreseeable future.

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It’s an example of how quickly things can shift in a fighter’s career, and Fiziev seemingly has some challenging times ahead.

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on what’s next for him after UFC Fight Night 228.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.

UFC Fight Night 228 post-event facts: Michelle Waterson-Gomez TKO’d after 14 years

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 228, including the end of Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s more than 14-year run without a TKO loss.

The UFC put a bow on its September schedule and a run of 17 straight weeks of events on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 228, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After a card with a handful of highlights, the lightweight main event ended in disappointing fashion when Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) suffered a knee injury that ended the fight prematurely, giving Mateusz Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) the TKO victory.

For more on the numbers from the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 228.

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UFC Fight Night 228 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Tim Means’ $21,000 leads card

UFC Fight Night 228 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 228 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $164,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 228 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 228 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mizuki Inoue[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2281 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,294,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,883,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.