Rafael Fiziev
UFC Vegas 58: Dos Anjos vs Fiziev – Take a look at the results and also the ones who received the bonus
The talent-stacked lightweight division is seeing a fresh crop of talent emerging up in the ranks, and one of those fighters locked horns with an experienced veteran this weekend. Former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos clashed against Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Vegas 58.
7th ranked lightweight contender, and fourth degree black belt in jiu-jitsu, Rafael Dos Anjos is a legend of the sport, and has fought the biggest names in the lightweight and welterweight division. He is one of those fighters who isn’t afraid to scrap with anyone.
Dos Anjos faced Anthony Pettis for the UFC Lightweight Championship on March 14, 2015, at UFC 185. The Brazilian won the bout via unanimous decision in a dominant fashion. After the fight, dos Anjos revealed that he had torn his MCL only a few weeks before the bout. The win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus award.
Dos Anjos is known for his aggressive, high-volume striking, physical strength, endurance and superior grappling skills. He will often come out aggressively in a Muay Thai stance, then use feints and kicks to back his opponent against the cage while swarming them with flurries of punches as well as takedowns. He is particularly noted for his left kick to the body and right hook to the head; he uses these strikes to limit his opponent’s lateral movement as they attempt to get their backs away from the fence.
His opponent Rafael Fiziev is a Kazakhastani kickboxer who trains at the renowned Tiger Muay Thai. In his promotional debut, Fiziev faced Magomed Mustafaev on April 20, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 149. He lost the fight by first-round technical knockout. He is also a 3 time Kyrgyzstan Muay Thai Champion (2007, 2008, and 2009). He currently has a record of 5 wins and 1 loss inside the UFC octagon.
Fiziev scored the biggest win of his Pro-MMA career against the experienced veteran Dos Anjos. He became only the second fighter to drop Dos Anjos, and the third to finish him by TKO or KO in the UFC octagon. Fiziev approached the fight strategically, and kept his gas tank efficient till the fifth round. Usually coming in strong guns blazing, and loading up on shots, Fiziev showed patience, composure, and level-headedness in his path to victory.
In the early rounds, Fiziev stayed outside in range, landing good shots to the body, and coming high straight down the pipe. He would occasionally land check hooks, and crisp combinations when Dos Anjos moved in range. The Brazilian resorted to a grappling-heavy approach, trying to tire Fiziev on the clinch and make him fight a gruelling clinch contest. Representing Azerbaijan for the first time in the UFC, Fiziev had done enough to win the first two rounds.
Dos Anjos sported a gnarly cut on his arm from a blocked kick entering into round 3. He continued to try and take the fight to the ground after multiple failed attempts, but eventually succeeded in the third. But Fiziev worked his way right back up. Dos Anjos had much more success in this round, and probably ended up winning it.
The second round continued in similar manner, and Dos Anjos entered with a perfect takedown. He tied up the legs of Fizieva against the cage and began attempting his onslaught. He won the fourth round, and it was 2-2 leading up to the fifth.
In the fifth round, Fiziev setup the perfect plan to spark Dos Anjos. He realized that the Brazilian is heavily shelling and covering up to avoid Fiziev’s powerful right hand. Fiziev entered with the desired right hand, but faked it only to draw a big reaction out of his opponent. He followed up with a heavy left hook, that floored Dos Anjos. Fiziev followed his opponent to the ground and landed two more punches before the referee had seen enough.
155 lbs.: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev — Fiziev def. dos Anjos by TKO (punches) at 0:18 of Round Five
185 lbs.: Caio Borralho vs. Armen Petrosyan — Borralho def. Petrosyan by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
135 lbs.: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade — Nurmagomedov def. SIlva de Andrade by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
265 lbs.: Jared Vanderaa vs. Chase Sherman — Sherman def. Vanderaa by TKO (punches) at 3:10 of Round Three
135 lbs.: Ricky Turcios vs. Aiemann Zahabi — Zahabi def. Turcios by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
155 lbs.: Michael Johnson vs. Jamie Mullarkey — Mullarkey def. Johnson by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
185 lbs.: Cody Brundage vs. Tresean Gore — Brundage def. Gore by KO (punches) at 3:50 of Round One
125 lbs.: Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko — Shevchenko def. Casey by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
145 lbs.: David Onama vs. Garrett Armfield — Onama def. Armfield by technical submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:13 of Round Two
205 lbs.: Karl Roberson vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu — Nzechukwu def. Roberson by TKO (punches and elbows) at 2:19 of Round Three
135 lbs.: Ronnie Lawrence vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov — Kakhramonov def. Lawrence by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2)
These are the fighters who cashed in the extra $50,000 bonus for their brilliant performances at UFC Vegas 58
Performance of the night- Rafael Fiziev and Chase Sherman
Fight of the Night – Mullarkey and Michael Johnson
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