UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev expects the magnitude of his upcoming fight to hit him when he’s standing across from Justin Gaethje inside the Octagon.
After an impressive rise up the 155-pound rankings, Fiziev is set for his biggest test on MMA’s biggest stage to date. Since a debut loss to Magomed Mustafaev blemished his professional record for the first time, “Ataman” has won six straight, including a successful main event debut opposite former divisional king Rafael dos Anjos last time out.
Now, Fiziev is set for the chance to break into the top five and title contention at the expense of former interim champ Gaethje, whom he’ll share the cage with in England’s capital at UFC 286 on March 18.
While Fiziev boasts a number of notable names on his résumé, with the likes of Renato Moicano and Brad Riddell joining “RDA” on the list of the Azerbaijani’s victims, the elite 29-year-old striker knows he’s heading towards the biggest opportunity of his career thus far.
And it comes against a man whom he’s long watched throw down in the Octagon.
Fiziev Acknowledges Magnitude Of Gaethje Matchup
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Fiziev looked ahead to his London visit, which will see him co-headline the first UK-held pay-per-view since 2016 and provide an appetizer for the welterweight championship trilogy fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.
Having previously expressed excitement about the event’s location, noting that he’s long desired to compete in front of a UK crowd, Fiziev spoke about the moment of realization he expects to have when he throws down with “The Highlight” inside The O2.
“It feels perfect. (I’m) excited. You know, for me, it’s fight first RDA, now it’s Gaethje; fighting with these legends, that’s crazy to me. I can’t believe (it),” Fiziev said. “When I go into the cage with Justin, when I see him in front of me in the cage, it’ll feel like, ‘Wow, I’m fighting with Justin.’ Because, I see him long time ago, when I (was) just trying to go into the UFC, thinking about the UFC every day. I see how he fight, I see his debut in the UFC. Now, I fight with (him). That’s perfect.”
Should Fiziev emerge victorious come March 18, he’ll certainly be among the leading candidates for the next shot at Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title. It stands to reason that he’d sit alongside the victor of the UFC 288 showdown between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira as an option.
Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 286, Rafael Fiziev or Justin Gaethje?
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