Rafael Fiziev scored the signature win of his career Saturday night when he dropped Renato Moicano in the first round at UFC 256.
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] scored the signature win of his career Saturday night when he dropped [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] in the first round at UFC 256.
Fiziev (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had an opportunity to show a bigger audience what he’s all about in his lightweight bout with Moicano (14-4-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who has shared the octagon with some of the biggest names in the sport.
A right hand followed by perfectly placed left hook spelled the end, as Fiziev loaded up and put Moicano down to the canvas at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
After the breakthrough performance and third consecutive UFC win, Fiziev sent a message to the rest of the 155-pound weight class.
“I’m tired from this camp, I want to go back home and rest,” Fiziev said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I want to say to everyone in my division, train more. Train hard … I’m coming.”
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 card has lost a key lightweight matchup – but it didn’t go too far.
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 card has lost a key lightweight matchup – but it didn’t go too far.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was set to take on [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) this week, but a positive COVID-19 test for Moicano has pushed the bout to next month.
Instead, Moicano vs. Fiziev will take place at UFC 256, which takes place Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the move with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.
After compiling a 5-3 record as a featherweight in the UFC, including wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson, Moicano moved up to lightweight and submitted Damir Hadzovic in just 44 seconds at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March. He was scheduled to face Magomed Mustafaev in October, but was forced out due to undisclosed reasons.
Fiziev dropped his promotional debut to Mustafaev in April 2019, but rebounded with back-to-back wins over Alex White and, most recently, Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in July.
A lightweight matchup between Renato Moicano vs. Rafael Fiziev is the latest addition to the UFC’s Nov. 28 event.
A lightweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s Nov. 28 lineup.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will face [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in an event that is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking Wednesday, but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement. Combate was first to report the news.
After compiling a 5-3 record as a featherweight in the UFC, including wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson, Moicano moved up to lightweight and submitted Damir Hadzovic in just 44 seconds at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March. He was scheduled to face Magomed Mustafaev on the UFC’s Oct. 17 card, but was forced out due to undisclosed reasons.
Fiziev dropped his promotional debut to Mustafaev in April 2019, but rebounded with back-to-back wins over Alex White and most recently Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in July.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from July 2020.
With another action-packed month in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from July 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
* * * *
The Nominees
Rose Namajunas def. Jessica Andrade at UFC 251
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) got the revenge she was looking for when she defeated fellow former UFC champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) in their anticipated rematch.
After Andrade took the strawweight title with a stunning slam knockout in May 2019, Namajunas emerged victorious in the rematch with a split decision win. She used superior footwork and striking to win the early portion of the fight, then resisted a late push from her Brazilian foe to secure the win.
[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) had moments when it looked like he might become a two-division UFC champion. But in the end, [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) may have brought about a changing of the guard in the lighter weight classes.
Yan became the UFC’s new bantamweight champion with a fifth-round TKO of former featherweight champ Aldo. Yan used pinpoint striking and a dangerous overall assault to overcome the moments where Aldo looked like he could successfully turn back the clock and began a new arena in the 135-pound division.
Mounir Lazzez def. Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC on ESPN 13
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) proved that after two years away he’s still one of the most exciting welterweights on the UFC roster. Newcomer [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) just managed to shine a little brighter, though.
Lazzez made his UFC debut as a relative unknown, but did not leave that way after beating Alhassan by unanimous decision. The pair threw down for 15 minutes, with Lazzez standing up to the trademark power of Alhassan and taking over to claim his first octagon win in the “Fight of the Night.”
Rafael Fiziev def. Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN+ 30
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) showed how different striking levels can be when he outworked a well respected standup artist in [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) over 15 minutes of lightweight action.
Fiziev was one step ahead of Diakiese in his unanimous decision win, using techniques that were just a touch more effective than what his opponent brought to the table. In the end, both men took home an extra $50,000 for “Fight of the Night.”
Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC on ESPN 14
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) left no doubt he’s superior to [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) when he made it 3-0 over his longtime rival in their trilogy fight.
After “Shogun” picked up wins in the first two meetings in 2005 and 2015, Rua made it a clean series sweep over Nogueira with a split decision victory. They slugged it out in classic fashion, and although it seemed Nogueira might slide out with a win, the judges once again saw it for Rua.
The rematch between Namajunas and Andrade was well worth the wait – for both Namajunas and the viewers who got to witness a tremendous scrap.
In their first meeting, at UFC 237, Andrade took the strawweight belt from Namajunas via a memorable, second-round knockout slam.
Fourteen months later, the duo met again. Namajunas put together two stellar rounds, then showed great heart in withstanding a furious third-round onslaught.
Namajunas, competing for the first time since losing the title, eked out a split decision victor with the better end of two of three 29-28 scorecards.
Andrade make clear from the jump she planned on pushing a strong pace, using fast movement to dart in and out. Namajunas, however, didn’t need much time to figure out her range, and she began using a pinpoint jab, crisp straight hands, and solid counters on the occasion Andrade manage to break through.
[lawrence-related id=535375,534306,534216]
This continued for the better part of two rounds, but Andrade might have the heaviest hands at 115 pounds, and she threw them, like with a wicked body shot in the second, she landed.
And then Andrade turned it on in the third. Andrade threw everything but the kitchen sink at her foe, leaving Namajunas with her nose cut open and her left eye nearly swollen shut. Things looked bad when Andrade landed a strong throw to take her opponent to the mat.
But Namajunas got back to her feet, gritted her way through the onslaught, and got to the final horn to seal the win.
“She went into desperation and started really unloading and she caught me a couple times, obviously,” Namajunas said. “But I just stayed strong.”
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 30, which saw Deiveson Figueiredo submit Joseph Benavidez in the main event.
The third event in the UFC’s four-card July stretch on “Fight Island” went down Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 30, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a main card that streamed on ESPN+.
After more than six months with the belt vacant, a new flyweight champion was crowned in the main event when [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) brutalized [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) en route to a first-round submission victory. With the win, he became the first Brazilian to hold 125-pound gold.
For more on the numbers behind the 12-fight card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 30.
* * * *
General
[vertical-gallery id=536361]
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $165,000.
Debuting fighters went 2-2 at the event.
Figueiredo, [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag], [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] and [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 30 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 30 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 7-5 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 13-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:33:56.
Main card
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil celebrates after defeating Joseph Benavidez in their UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Figueiredo became just the third flyweight champion in UFC history, joining Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson.
Figueiredo has earned 16 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes six of his eight UFC wins.
Figueiredo’s six stoppage victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied with Benavidez for second most ind divisional history behind Demetrious Johnson (seven).
Figueiredo’s eight knockdowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Figueiredo lands 52.5 percent of his significant strike attempts in UF
Benavidez became the first in UFC history to go 0-4 in undisputed championship fights.
Benavidez suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 21 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) fell to 4-4 (with one no contest) since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in December 2016. He’s 5-4 (with one no contest) in the organization at 185 pounds.
Gastelum has suffered both his career stoppage losses by submission.
Fiziev (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Diakiese (14-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: (R-L) Ariane Lipski of Brazil secures a knee bar submission against Luana Carolina of Brazil in their flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Lipski (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 13 career victories by stoppage.
Lipski’s victory at 1:28 of Round 1 marked the second fasted stoppage in UFC women’s flyweight history. Veronica Macedo holds the record with a 69-second win at UFC on ESPN+ 14.
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of her career.
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (12-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has suffered all five of his career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 19: (L-R) Roman Dolidze of Georgia knocks out Khadis Ibragimov of Russia in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 19, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.
Ibragimov suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
[autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]’s (16-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2017.
[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned all 17 of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 15 of those wins by submission.
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.
Gordon suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 2-2 earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 30 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $165,000.
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 on ESPN+ 30 took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island. The main card streamed ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 30 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC on ESPN+ 30: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2” – $165,000
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 30 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.
Deiveson Figueiredo’s performance at UFC on ESPN+ 30 netted a championship belt — and some extra cash.
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]’s performance at UFC on ESPN+ 30 was a tour de force, as he dominated his main event fight against [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] from wire to wire to claim the vacant UFC flyweight title.
So it should come as little surprise Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) also takes home one of the four post-fight performance bonuses Saturday night. Figueiredo’s technical submission of Benavidez at 4:48 of the opening round earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus, which means he earns an extra $50,000 for his efforts. It was the second postfight bonus of his UFC career.
Also earning “Performance of the Night” honors was [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag], who scored a memorable kneebar submission victory over Luna Carolina on the undercard. The 88-second win for Lipski (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was her second in a row, and the “POTN” was her first postfight award.
“Fight of the Night” honors went to a lightweight main card bout between [autotag]Rafael Fiziev [/autotag]and [autotag]Marc Diakese[/autotag]. Fiziev took the unanimous decision after an entertaining 15 minutes of action, but both go home $50K richer. Diakese (14-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) had his second career postfight bonus, while Fiziev (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes home his first.
Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 fight between Marc Diakiese and Rafael Fiziev, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.
[jwplayer 6zk5Spez]
Marc Diakiese and Rafael Fiziev tangle in a lightweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 30 – also known as UFC Fight Night 172 – Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility on Yas Island, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 8 p.m. ET.
Want to place a bet on UFC on ESPN+ 30? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!
Marc Diakiese (14-3) will look for his third straight victory after a three-bout losing skid from July 7, 2017 to July 22, 2018. The Briton took care of Lando Vannata by way of unanimous decision last time out on the Hermansson-Cannonier card Sept. 28, 2019. While Diakiese has gotten back on track lately, each of his past three bouts have gone the distance, so that’s something to file away. Diakiese – nicknamed “Bonecrusher” – will try to make like James Smith and knock out Fiziev (7-1). Diakiese has posted six KO/TKO in his 17 career fights, and has never been knocked out.
Fiziev, the switch-stance fighter from Kyrgyzstan, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Alex White on Oct. 26, 2019, erasing the bad feelings of a KO/TKO loss in his UFC debut against Magomed Mustafaev on April 20, 2019. Like Diakiese, Fiziev loves the knockout, with five of his seven career wins coming via KO/TKO. The decision against White was a rarity, too, as his first seven professional fights had finishes inside the distance, including 5-1 via KO/TKO and 1-0 by way of submission.
DIAKIESE (-167) is a reasonable play on the 2-way line straight up, and he’ll be able to scratch out a win if he can avoid catching the hands of Fiziev (+140). Diakiese is also the better all-around fighter, and more polished, too. In addition, he isn’t a one-trick pony, as he can brawl toe-to-toe, or can go to the mat and get the finish if need be. He has 2.50 to 0.91 advantage in takedown average, although submissions aren’t the biggest arrow in his quiver.
Looking at the 7-way Method of Victory lines, rolling with DIAKIESE BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISON (+125) is worth a roll of the dice, while taking YES (-162): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is also a sound play.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
