Athletes
Rafael Fiziev Just Wants To Wow You
Entertaining Lightweight Discusses Lessons Learned Facing Justin Gaethje And A Shift In Mindset Inspired By The Korean Zombie.
When Rafael Fiziev was on the ascent in the UFC lightweight division, the playful striker would constantly take comical shots at the established talents ahead of him in the rankings, finding colorful ways to criticize them for sitting in their place in the queue and doing whatever they could to avoid fighting him.
After six straight wins and months of asking for a matchup with an elite opponent, Fiziev got his wish in March when he was paired off with Justin Gaethje in the co-main event of UFC 286 in London. He started well, winning the opening round on all three scorecards before the two men ran close to level in the second, with the former interim champion dominating the third.
UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Gamrot Fight By Fight Preview
When the scores were tallied, Fiziev landed on the unhappy side of a majority decision verdict.
“You know what I learned? This humble pie is so good, bro,” Fiziev said with a huge smile and laugh, reflecting on his bout with Gaethje as he readied to return to action this weekend opposite Mateusz Gamrot. “Controlling emotions is what Justin (schooled) me on.
“I’m always learning how to control emotions. I come back now and have to control my emotions, not listen to the people outside the cage, because when you touch him a little bit and many people start screaming, you feel it here (touches chest) and it starts a fire, you want to show more.
“We’ll see in the next fight,” he quickly responded when asked how the learning process has been going. “I’m working on it, thinking about it, because it’s so hard to control emotions in a fight.”
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A long-time Muay Thai competitor before crossing over to mixed martial arts, the 30-year-old striker isn’t particularly bothered by the setback. No one likes to lose, but Fiziev is quick to point out that he’s lost many times before, in various different arenas, and that all you can really do is shift your focus to the next opponent that is stationed in front of you.
There is one element of losing that he could do without though.
“I lost, so I can talk s*** about it,” began the amiable lightweight, smiling as he voiced his frustrations, much like he would in previous interviews when he was targeting those positioned above him in the rankings. “Some fighters, they can talk s*** about it. But you? Guy who never steps in the cage, never stands in front of somebody who wants to beat your face?”
Best Mic Moments | Rafael Fiziev
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Best Mic Moments | Rafael Fiziev
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He paused, shaking his head.
“You shut the f*** up!”
He laughed again, continuing to shake his head, clearly annoyed with the waves of unseen critics that constantly bombard athletes with negativity and insults that has become far too common and accepted in today’s social media landscape.
We chatted more about competing, and how you have to go into every fight believing you’re the absolute best fighter on the planet in that individual moment and that no one is going to beat you, only to occasionally find out that your beliefs were incorrect, and Fiziev summed up that reality perfectly, declaring simply, “It’s part of the business.”
Unfortunately for the returning Top 10 lightweight, so too is wrestling, and he’s been required to do so many rounds of his least favorite element of mixed martial arts that he’s now wrestling in his sleep.
“I know everybody wrestles. I wrestle six times a week. Sometimes I’m asleep and I start to make a sprawl on the bed,” he said, his ever-present smile growing even wider. “I wrestle every week too many times, so next fight, I want a striker.”
As much he jokes about not being fond of wrestling, Fiziev completely understands that everyone, including both he and Gamrot, has to play to their strengths inside the Octagon, and while he wishes more people were willing to stand and trade with him, this too is part of the business.
“I don’t like wrestling and grappling, but we have to do it,” said the decorated and dangerous striker, who earned stoppage wins over Renato Moicano, Brad Riddell, and Rafael Dos Anjos on the way to the showdown with Gaethje in London. “This is MMA — I understand that — and I have to wrestle.
“If somebody wants to wrestle with me, that’s good for him; that’s a good choice. Maybe that’s his base, maybe he’s better than me, so he has to use that. I think I’m better than somebody at standup, I have to use that.”
See What's Happening In The Lightweight Division | View Fiziev's Athlete Profile
In speaking about Gamrot, Fiziev mentioned that he was extremely familiar with the man he’ll face in this weekend’s main event, having watched him during his days as a two-division champion in KSW, where he faced a couple members of the Tiger Muay Thai team. He also noted that he and Gamrot trained together at the Thailand super-gym once or twice many years ago, with the Polish standout showing him a couple takedown setups.
When I asked him about facing off with another Top 10 opponent, given his previous gripes about ranked fighters dodging him, the fidgety fighter that is always quick with a quip became still and reflective, unveiling the new way he’s choosing to look at his career.
Highlight: Rafael Fiziev Earns 13th Wheel Kick KO In UFC History | UFC Fight Night: Font vs Aldo
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Highlight: Rafael Fiziev Earns 13th Wheel Kick KO In UFC History | UFC Fight Night: Font vs Aldo
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“For me, I’m just thinking about after the fight with (Max) Holloway and (The Korean) Zombie, I saw when Zombie finished his career,” began Fiziev, who carries a 12-2 record into Saturday’s finale. “He’s never been a champion, but how many years has he been in top position? And look how people love him, how fans love him and say goodbye to him. It’s all because he stayed at the top for a really long time, he (delivered) good fights, and he showed everybody his heart.
“He deserved it. I like that.”
He took a beat before continuing.
“One other guy from the gym, Jason Jackson, I asked him, ‘What’s your ranking?’ And he said, ‘It doesn’t matter. I go fight with everyone. If he’s No. 10, he’s next. If he’s No. 1, he’s next. We don’t fight for numbers,’ and I’m thinking about that. Why do we think about numbers? I just want to fight you, the next one.
“I just want to fight with strong guys, and after my fight, I want people to say, ‘Wow!’ That’s it.”
UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs Gamrot took live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 23, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
