Rafael Fiziev News

Cole Shelton - June 23, 2026

Rafael Fiziev is excited for his UFC Baku main event fight against Manuel Torres on Saturday. Fiziev is set to take on Torres in what should be a fan-friendly striking fight for as long as it lasts. Heading into the bout, oddsmakers have it as a pick’em, as both lightweight contenders can end the fight with one punch.

Dylan Bowker - February 11, 2026

Rafael Fiziev faced a setback against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325, but a teammate of the former foresees a comeback as being imminent. Daniil Donchenko is the combatant in question, the TUF champ/ main stage UFC debutant has a great history of having high-level teammates train along with him, and he has previously described Fiziev as his brother. While he had a bit of a rough night at the office against Mauricio Ruffy, Fiziev is still one of the top lightweights on the planet despite the recent victory drought inside of the octagon. When detailing his thoughts on that lightweight contest from UFC 325 between Fiziev and Ruffy, Donchenko said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Chris Taylor - January 31, 2026

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC 325 results, including the lightweight contest between Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy. Fiziev (13-5 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since June of last year, where he scored a decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes. Prior to that triumph, ‘Ataman’ was on a three-fight losing skid, this after dropping fights to Mateusz Gamrot and Justin Gaethje (x2) respectively.

Dylan Bowker - January 31, 2026

Rafael Fiziev prepares to do battle at UFC 325, and a training partner of Fiziev’s has weighed in on that high-stakes lightweight contest on Saturday. Fiziev has historically trained at Tiger Muay Thai with the likes of two-time UFC champ Petr Yan, but there is also a Rizin champ out of the TMT fold. Ilkhom Nozimov captured the RFF lightweight title with a thirteen-second KO of Roberto ‘Satoshi’ de Souza at Rizin’s annual New Year’s Eve card to close out 2025. When offering up his thoughts on that Mauricio Ruffy fight coming up at UFC 325, that his TMT compatriot Fiziev will be taking part in on January 31st, Nozimov said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2025

Charles Oliveira won’t be waiting long for his next outing. The official X account of the UFC has announced that Oliveira has been booked to face Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Rio on Oct. 11. It’s clear that “do Bronx” didn’t want to hold off on his return to the Octagon, as the date of his next fight would be just shy of four full months since his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria. It was a rough defeat for Oliveira, and some are already wondering if “do Bronx” is allowing himself to recover.

Harry Kettle - August 5, 2025

UFC star Rafael Fiziev has ruled out the possibility of a move from lightweight down to the featherweight division. As we know, Rafael Fiziev is one of the most intriguing lightweight fighters on the roster. However, while he’s had some great moments over the years, he’s also had some setbacks. That includes a nasty injury alongside two losses to Justin Gaethje, all of which set him back on his path to a title shot.

Harry Kettle - June 23, 2025

UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev has called out Dan Hooker in the wake of his UFC Baku triumph over Ignacio Bahamondes. Last weekend, Rafael Fiziev finally got back in the win column after three straight defeats. He was able to get past Ignacio Bahamondes and in doing so, he vaulted himself right back into contention in the UFC’s lightweight division. There’s still a long way to go before he can be viewed as a legitimate title challenger, but this is certainly a positive start.

Josh Evanoff - March 11, 2025

Fresh off a loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 313, Rafael Fiziev is interested in a move down in weight. The 32-year-old striker was last seen in the cage against ‘The Highlight’ on Saturday. Stepping up on short notice, Rafael Fiziev again met Justin Gaethje. At UFC 286 in early 2023, the former interim lightweight champion handed ‘Ataman’ a close unanimous decision loss. Despite entering the bout on just two weeks’ notice, Fiziev was confident.

Chris Taylor - March 8, 2025

Tonight’s UFC 313 event was co-headlined by a lightweight rematch between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. ‘The Highlight’ was originally slated to face Dan Hooker at tonight’s event, but ‘The Hangman’ was forced out due to injury and was ultimately replaced by Fiziev.

Chris Taylor - March 8, 2025

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC 313 results, including the lightweight rematch between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. ‘The Highlight’ was originally slated to face Dan Hooker at tonight’s event, but ‘The Hangman’ was forced out due to injury and was ultimately replaced by Fiziev.

Harry Kettle - March 8, 2025

Rafael Fiziev has admitted that the impact of the crowd may have influenced him in his first fight against Justin Gaethje. As we know, Rafael Fiziev will be taking on Justin Gaethje in a short notice lightweight showdown tonight. The two men have met once before and on that occasion, Gaethje came out on top with the win in what proved to be a real all-action affair.

Harry Kettle - March 7, 2025

Justin Gaethje has admitted that his UFC championship hopes are pretty much gone if he loses to Rafael Fiziev. Tomorrow night, Justin Gaethje will attempt to get his UFC career back on track. While he’s already set to go down in history as a mixed martial arts legend, ‘The Highlight’ is coming off the back of a devastating knockout loss at the hands of Max Holloway.

Harry Kettle - March 6, 2025

UFC star Rafael Fiziev hopes that Justin Gaethje comes ready for war when they collide at UFC 313 this weekend. On Saturday night, Rafael Fiziev will battle it out with Justin Gaethje on short notice in the co-main event of UFC 313. The two men have met once before and in that instance, it was Gaethje who managed to grind out what was a really important win for his title hopes at 155 pounds.

Harry Kettle - March 5, 2025

Rafael Fiziev seems to be in a pretty relaxed mood as he prepares to go to war with Justin Gaethje at UFC 313 this weekend. As we know, Rafael Fiziev will take on Justin Gaethje for the second time in the co-main event of UFC 313 on Saturday night. He’ll be attempting to avenge his loss from their first encounter a few years back, and he’ll be doing so on short notice.

Harry Kettle - March 3, 2025

UFC star Justin Gaethje has promised a return to his violent roots in his rematch with Rafael Fiziev this weekend. As we know, Justin Gaethje will battle it out with Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. It will serve as a rematch from their battle at UFC 286, when Justin was able to get his hand raised in what proved to be a really competitive encounter.

Harry Kettle - February 27, 2025

UFC star Justin Gaethje officially has a replacement for his co-main event at UFC 313 in the wake of Dan Hooker pulling out of the contest. As we know, Justin Gaethje’s fight against Dan Hooker is off due to a hand injury sustained by Hooker. That left many lightweights vying for the chance to battle it out with Justin on what would be a pretty short notice contest at UFC 313.

Harry Kettle - September 14, 2024

UFC sensation Dan Hooker isn’t interested in facing off against Rafael Fiziev in his next fight. Over the course of his last few fights, Dan Hooker has been able to inject new life into his career. While he’s still got work to do before being dubbed a title contender, his victory over Mateusz Gamrot was a real statement of intent. Moving forward, he’ll likely be looking forward as opposed to behind him in the rankings.

Harry Kettle - September 10, 2024

UFC star Rafael Fiziev has confirmed he’s ready to return to the promotion after his ACL injury last year. For the longest time now, Rafael Fiziev has been seen as a real top contender at lightweight. However, after suffering a torn ACL against Mateusz Gamrot last year, he’s been forced to sit and recover.