Dr. David Abbasi diagnoses Rafael Fiziev's gruesome leg injury and predicts how long he'll be out

Dr. David Abbasi has put forth his take regarding Rafael Fiziev's gruesome leg injury and possible comeback timeline. In his most recent octagon outing, Azerbaijan's Fiziev faced Poland's Mateusz Gamrot in a lightweight showdown that headlined the UFC Vegas 79 event earlier tonight (September 23, 2023).

In what was a fast-paced matchup right from the get-go, Rafael Fiziev appeared to outwork his Polish opponent in round one. However, the fight ended abruptly in round two after Fiziev landed a right kick to his foe's torso and injured his other (left leg) knee.

The replays suggested that Fiziev rotated awkwardly on his left knee while landing the right kick and/or hurt his left knee while retracting his right leg to the mat. The Muay Thai striking savant immediately fell down after injuring his knee, whereas Gamrot pounced and hit him with a few ground strikes.

The referee waved off the fight and saved Rafael Fiziev from further damage. Following that, Mateusz Gamrot was declared the winner of the bout via second-round TKO (knee injury).

Taking to his official Instagram page, renowned orthopedic surgeon and sports injury analyst Dr. David Abbasi weighed in with his opinion on Fiziev's injury. In an Instagram post, he opined that based on what can be seen in the video footage of the injury sequence, Fiziev has likely suffered an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury.

Furthermore, he predicted that Fiziev would probably have to undergo ACL surgery and could be out of action for about 9-12 months. Dr. Abbasi wrote:

"Fiziev clearly tore his ACL. From video my first 1st image shows his knee slid forward consistent w ACL tear. 2nd image knee slid back into place. Will likely get ACL surgery- likely out for 9-12 months. #fiziev #acl #UFCVegas79 #ufc #rafaelfiziev"

Presently, Rafael Fiziev is on a two-fight losing streak. In March 2023, his six-fight win streak was snapped, courtesy of a majority decision defeat against Justin Gaethje.

After the Gaethje matchup, Fiziev returned to the octagon tonight, and he ended up losing to Mateusz Gamrot owing to an unfortunate knee injury. Fans can expect official details concerning Fiziev's comeback timeline and injury recovery to unravel in the days to come.

A closer look at Rafael Fiziev's UFC run thus far

Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA) entered the UFC organization sporting an undefeated 6-0 professional MMA record. He commenced his UFC run with a first-round TKO defeat against Magomed Mustafaev in April 2019. Despite getting off to a less-than-desirable start in the promotion, he turned things around and won all six of his ensuing UFC fights.

Speaking of which, Rafael Fiziev's six-fight UFC win streak comprised victories over the likes of Alex White, Marc Diakiese, Renato Moicano, Bobby Green, Brad Riddell, and former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Fiziev's fifth-round KO victory over RDA remains his latest win to date, following which he suffered losses against Justin Gaethje and Mateusz Gamrot.