Rafael Fiziev reveals the lightweight contender who deserves the title shot more than him
With a six fight undefeated streak, Rafael Fiziev is already on the brink of receiving a title shot soon. However, according to him, one contender deserves the opportunity more than him.
Fiziev is set to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 this weekend. This is Gaethje’s first fight back since UFC 274, where he suffered his second consecutive championship shot loss. At UFC 268, he fought Michael Chandler to produce the 2021 Fight of the Year at Madison Square Garden.
For a long time, Fiziev has been trying to compete in the same cage as one of the Top 5 fighters in the world. Now, his wish has come true. The talented and active fighter has won six straight matches in succession, and he has also won a bonus in each of the last five.
Speaking about who deserves the title shot more, he said:
“Yeah I also think like if I [beat Gaethje], if I [beat] him I deserve that title shot. But, UFC also make it how they want and I can’t say. Like if they give title shot for winner of Oliveira and Dariush, then okay. Dariush, I think he deserve it more than anyone in this division. If he give me after this fight, also happy, you know?”
Rafael Fiziev believes Justin Gaethje is inexperienced
Rafael Fiziev is gearing up for his biggest fight since committing to MMA, but despite the magnitude of the event, the European considers Justin Gaethje an inexperienced fighter in comparison to himself.
Rafael Fiziev praised Justin Gaethje’s style in preparation for their forthcoming fight, but he argued that Gaethje is inexperience when compared to his run in combat sports:
“We have the same heart. He likes to fight with his heart. He likes to pressure with hard punches… But still, he has like 25-30 fights in MMA. I think it’s still not enough for me because I had a big, big amateur career. I have close to 300 fights in my life. Your 30 fights is nothing to me… My IQ is much better than his and also my technique has more special moments.”
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