Rafael Fiziev

Fiziev is only the third person to knockout dos Anjos in the former UFC champion's 45-fight pro career.

But just as it seemed the former champion was finding his groove to start the final round, Fiziev roared back in response, dropping RDA with a big punch and landing two follow-up shots on the ground. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news. Rafael Fiziev asserted himself as the lightweight division's premier Rafael and a rising tide in UFC's shark-infested lightweight division on Saturday night.

LAS VEGAS — The list of contenders in the lightweight division keeps growing. The latest to establish himself as a bona fide contender is Rafael Fiziev, ...

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'Ataman' now owns six-fight winning streak and called for a top-5 opponent in his next outing.

"Yeah, give me someone in the top 5," Fiziev said after the win. With dos Anjos on his back, Fiziev rushed forward and landed a few more punches on the floor, forcing Mark Smith to call a halt to the bout just 18 seconds into the final frame. Clearly down on the cards heading into the fourth, dos Anjos did his best to create opportunities for offense when possible, though Fiziev's pace also remained high on the feet, and his takedown defense was sound. Dos Anjos would continue to hunt the clinch, but Fiziev dealt well with each attempt. With Fiziev gaining steam on the feet, dos Anjos shot forward and was able to get to the clinch, but his opponent defended well once again and pulled away to the center of the cage. Dos Anjos shot forward for a takedown shortly after, but Fiziev defended well against the cage and was eventually able to slip back to the center, where he delivered a few acrobatic knees as the two continued to engage in striking exchanges.

Rafael dos Anjos gives his opinion on the stoppage in his fight against Rafael Fiziev in the UFC Vegas 58.

“I was away for 16 months and a long layoff with two knee injuries and a hernia, too. “The fight was pretty close leading up to the fifth. “He’s a tough dude,” dos Anjos said. “I’ve got to rewatch the tape, but I don’t think so. “I thought he was tired, but he’s dangerous. Immediately afterward, it appeared dos Anjos was protesting the stoppage.

Check out the betting odds for tonight's UFC Vegas 58 card, where Rafael Fiziev is favored over Rafael Dos Anjos in the main event.

For an in-depth breakdown of each UFC Vegas 58 fight, check out The MMA Vivisection Podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to our SoundCloud Channel and YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our live video content. Out of Fiziev’s six UFC bouts, three have ended early with the other three resulting in a finish. Will this five-round main event last the entire 25-minutes?

Rafael Fiziev TKO'd Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58. On Twitter, pro fighters reacted to the finish.

Rough ending to a great fight.— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) #UFCVegas58 July 10, 2022 I’m sure they both feel those body kicks they blocked— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) #UFCVegas58 July 10, 2022 Wish we got to see if RDA could recover.

Rafael Fiziev challenged two-time title challenger Justin Gaethje after his big win at UFC Vegas 58.

“But I got a finish in the fifth round. It did the trick. Go in and f*** him up, or I’ll f*** you up when we go back to the hotel.’ I think, oh, I need to go to Round 5 and do something. “If you want to fight, one more guy with yellow hairs, we need to know who’s the best for you and for me,” he continued. “Nadal is funny ... but Gaethje, if he wants to fight –what camera do I need to [look at]? yeah, this one. “I want a fight with Gaethje, like for real,” Fiziev told reporters at the post-fight presser for UFC Vegas 58.