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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rafael Fiziev has home-field advantage — and the pressure to go with it — at UFC's Azerbaijan event
When he was in his 20s, Rafael Fiziev was running in the tall clover. He'd won six straight fights (with five performance bonuses), and was building a head of steam toward a lightweight title shot when the UFC did him the courtesy of matching him against Justin Gaethje at UFC 286. With Gaethje having lost two of his last three, this was meant to be a catapult for Fiziev. A win would have thrown him into the upper reaches of the division. To borrow from the world of pro wrestling, it was the moment Fiziev was supposed to get over. Advertisement It didn't work out like that. Fiziev, who turned 30 just a week before that first Gaethje encounter, came away looking like the lone survivor of a slasher film. His face was a proverbial crimson mask. There were gashes above and under his eyes. His nose was purple. He found out firsthand what it means to visit the Gaethje wheelhouse, an experience he would reprise two years later at UFC 313, with a loss to Mateusz Gamrot sandwiched in between. Now at 32, he gets another crack at it when he fights Ignacio Bahamondes at Saturday's UFC on ABC event in Baku, Azerbaijan. It's his chance to build back up to where he was before all the trouble began. 'Yes, I left three fights,' Fiziev says. 'I lost that first fight with Justin. The second fight [against Gamrot], I have injury. I just hurt my knee, the ligaments in my knee, I couldn't do anything with this. My knee is done. Then the third fight with Justin is short notice, one week notice, because [before that] I cannot find the fighter who wants to fight me, who can say yes against me. 'So yeah, sad for the three losses, but this is not like somebody knocked me out three times. I have three [losses], I have two bonuses, and the fight with Gamrot, where I cannot do anything because my body just … ' Advertisement Here Fiziev can't help but shrug, as perhaps he better than anybody understands the chaotic elements of fighting. He can't make things in the rearview mirror appear closer to him than is altogether necessary. 'I understand,' he says. 'I am a strong guy. I have a good striking, I have a good wrestling, and I have a big heart. I really love this. I'm enjoying when I'm fighting and yeah, [these] three [losses] is nothing for me.' There was a time when Fiziev felt somewhat inevitable as a title contender at 155 pounds. The beating he put on Renato Moicano might've been the first to turn some heads, but the crisp boxing that overwhelmed Brad Riddell before a spinning wheel kick put him away felt like a declaration that Fiziev was coming. He was a perfect example of a fighter who blended superior technique with a brawler's mentality, which adds up to a fun viewing experience. Advertisement And he was taking it to Gaethje in that first fight, too. The fight was a back-and-forth war that ended in a majority decision in Gaethje's favor. Part of what has made Fiziev must-see TV is that at times he can throw caution to the wind, a feast or famine approach which has ultimately cost him on his recent slide. 'I have a big ego,' Fiziev says. 'I always want to show myself. I always want to show for myself and the beauty. And I love this business so much and I know when I watch a fight, I want to watch a good fight. I don't want a boring fight. I don't like when fighters stay [a] long time, and fighters don't risk so much. I don't like it so much when I watch those fights. 'So when I go to the cage, what I don't like I try avoid in my fights. And also, I love it. I just love it. When I go to the cage, I really love it. I've felt like that since 11 years old, and I think I have these bonuses and all of this, all the things people [are] saying, I think it's just because I have loved it. I really love it, and I want to show myself to people how much I love the fight.' If circumstances haven't exactly been on Fiziev's side since that first Gaethje encounter, that appears to be about to change this weekend on the UFC's first visit to Azerbaijan, the country Fiziev represents. Advertisement This is a tailor-made event for Fiziev, and it's a big one that's airing live on ABC in the U.S. As a kind of modern-day nomad who has spent time training at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand, he was born in Kazakhstan and spent much of his childhood in Kyrgyzstan. This is a part of the world that wants to see a UFC belt of its own reflecting off the Caspian Sea. But the situation this time around is also a little different. Rafael Fiziev will have the crowd on his side at UFC on ABC in Azerbaijan, but pressure is mounting on him to move into a top contender spot. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images) (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters) This time it's Fiziev who is in desperate need of a victory if he hopes to stay in proximity to that title. And it's the 27-year-old Bahamondes who arrives with the idea of stealing his capital as a contender. The crowd at the Baku Crystal Hall will be on Fiziev's side. Friends and family will be in attendance. The roof will come off the place if he starches Bahamondes the way he did Rafael Dos Anjos in his last victory. Advertisement There's a lot riding on a single fight, but then there always is. 'I'm really excited — I really like this because I'm going to fight front of my people in my homeland and all of my people can watch me live in real life,' Fiziev says. 'In Azerbaijan we have support for each other. We in Azerbaijan love to support each other and I can't wait to fight front of my people.' As for the pressure that comes with fighting in front of your countrymen? 'Many people, many families, friends, they want to meet me, they want to hang out with me,' he says. 'They want have some time with me, but I tell everybody like, 'Hey guys, look, I'm here on the fight. I have to stay in my room with my team, do what I have to do.' 'So no, no pressure, no pressure [from that] at all, because just being fighters comes with pressure. I just tell myself what I'm feeling, but I think many fighters do agree with me — we have pressure only about one thing: We don't want to lose. But all the other things, it's second, third, fourth. So I don't want a loss. I want to show a good fight and I don't want to lose.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ignacio Bahamondes promises fireworks against Rafael Fiziev: 'I'm willing to die in there'
Don't blink when Ignacio Bahamondes and Rafael Fiziev fight at UFC on ABC 8. Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Advertisement With Fiziev coming from a muay Thai background, and eight of his 12 professional wins coming by knockout, Bahamondes guarantees a banger of a fight – but plans on showing he's a different level. "Fiziev is a striker just like me," Bahamondes told MMA Junkie. "I think wherever he is good, I'm way better than him. On the ground, after my fight with Jalin Turner, my ground game has been exceeding its limit. My ground game is every time more dangerous, but I would love to take this fight to the three rounds. I would like to dominate my opponent for three rounds so I have time to show everything I got, everything I got in my arsenal, and take him to school for three rounds. "It's going to be fireworks for three rounds, five minutes, whatever the fight lasts. It's going to be fireworks. You know Fiziev doesn't play, he goes to fight, and you know I don't play either. I'm going to stand in there, and I'm going to try and finish him. So, it's going to be exciting to see that fight how it goes because I'm willing to die in there. So, I hope he's there and ready to die, too." A win over Fiziev will give Bahamondes an opportunity to enter the UFC's lightweight rankings, and he has big goals should things go according to plan. Advertisement "I think I deserve a top 10, and after this fight, it's going to be the beginning of my title run," Bahamondes said. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Baku: Ignacio Bahamondes 'willing to die' vs. Rafael Fiziev
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rafael Fiziev feels 'no pressure' entering home country fight at UFC Baku
Rafael Fiziev feels 'no pressure' entering home country fight at UFC Baku Rafael Fiziev is in good spirits going into UFC on ABC 8, especially for a fighter who is trying to battle out of a three-fight losing skid. Although Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has lost only to the elite at lightweight in Justin Gaethje twice and Mateusz Gamrot over the past two years, it's not being overdramatic to label Saturday's co-main event vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) as a must-win. Fiziev, who takes on Bahamondes at Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), however, is not letting any noise get to his head. He doesn't place additional significance on this fight over the rest. "Last three fights I did not get what I want," Fiziev said at Wednesday's UFC on ABC 8 media day. "I did not get my goal. But a fight is a fight. I've been fighting all my life, and I know the last three fights I've lost, but for me, it's just next. "I forget about last three fights and when I step in the cage, I don't have the time to think about the last three fights. I just have time to think about how I can win against this guy, so no pressure about that." If there's any time and place for Fiziev to get back on track, it's this weekend. UFC on ABC 8 is the promotion's first event in Fiziev's native Azerbaijan, and the crowd support will no doubt be lopsided in his favor. With four Fight of the Night bonuses and three Performance of the Night bonuses over his past eight fights, Fiziev has proven himself to be among the most entertaining names at 155 pounds. The results haven't gone his way in his past three trips to the cage, but Bahamondes hasn't proven himself to be the caliber of Gaethje or Gamrot yet. He could use his experience to fight more conservatively and get a win, but Fiziev is instead welcoming a high-risk war with a danger finisher in Bahamondes. "When only one guy in the cage wants to get a bonus, only one guy in the cage wants to make beautiful fights, sometimes it's a little hard to make beautiful fight," Fiziev said. "Because maybe the other guy steps back to be safe more, but when both guys want to make it, I'm just happy for that. Thank you, Ignacio, for that. I hope he's really going to do that and follow through on his words."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ignacio Bahamondes promises fireworks against Rafael Fiziev: 'I'm willing to die in there'
Ignacio Bahamondes promises fireworks against Rafael Fiziev: 'I'm willing to die in there' Don't blink when Ignacio Bahamondes and Rafael Fiziev fight at UFC on ABC 8. Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. With Fiziev coming from a muay Thai background, and eight of his 12 professional wins coming by knockout, Bahamondes guarantees a banger of a fight – but plans on showing he's a different level. "Fiziev is a striker just like me," Bahamondes told MMA Junkie. "I think wherever he is good, I'm way better than him. On the ground, after my fight with Jalin Turner, my ground game has been exceeding its limit. My ground game is every time more dangerous, but I would love to take this fight to the three rounds. I would like to dominate my opponent for three rounds so I have time to show everything I got, everything I got in my arsenal, and take him to school for three rounds. "It's going to be fireworks for three rounds, five minutes, whatever the fight lasts. It's going to be fireworks. You know Fiziev doesn't play, he goes to fight, and you know I don't play either. I'm going to stand in there, and I'm going to try and finish him. So, it's going to be exciting to see that fight how it goes because I'm willing to die in there. So, I hope he's there and ready to die, too." A win over Fiziev will give Bahamondes an opportunity to enter the UFC's lightweight rankings, and he has big goals should things go according to plan. "I think I deserve a top 10, and after this fight, it's going to be the beginning of my title run," Bahamondes said.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC books Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes for Azerbaijan debut event
UFC books Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes for Azerbaijan debut event [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] and [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] aren't wasting much time getting back into the cage as the UFC has booked the two lightweights against each other for an upcoming event. The fight between Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is set for UFC Baku, the promotion's debut in Azerbaijan. It will take place June 21 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, officials announced the booking Friday. It first was reported by Russian X account RedFuryFT. It'll be a homecoming for Fiziev, who grew up in Azerbaijan. Both Fiziev and Bahamondes most recently competed March 8. At UFC 313, Fiziev suffered his third consecutive loss when he dropped a rematch to Justin Gaethje. Bahamondes picked up his third win in a row with a first-round submission over Jalin Turner. The latest lineup for the card now includes:
