What is Rafael Fiziev’s UFC record? Find out his next opponent and most notable conquests here 

Rafael Fiziev is an Azerbaijani mixed martial artist who also has a connection to Kyrgyzstan. He is currently competing in the UFC and holds a professional MMA record of 12-2. 'Ataman's' UFC record stands at an impressive 6-2.

After starting his fighting career in Muay Thai, Fiziev made his pro-MMA debut in 2015. The Kyrgyzstan native won his first six fights, all inside the distance, with five in the first round. He spent that time bouncing around regional promotions, including W.I.N. Fighting Championships, Boroda FC, Primal FC, Road FC, and Titan FC.

While competing on the MMA regional scene, Fiziev continued to stay active in Muay Thai. Once he made his UFC debut in 2019, ‘Ataman’ committed full-time to becoming an MMA world champion.

The journey has not been easy for the Kyrgyzstan native. In his first UFC fight, he lost by a first-round knockout against Magomed Mustafaev, raising concerns about his legitimacy as a future lightweight title contender.

‘Ataman’ bounced back from his loss against Mustafaev by winning two consecutive decisions against Alex White and Marc Diakiese. He received a step up in competition and continued to succeed with three more wins against Renato Moicano, a first-round knockout, Bobby Green, a decision, and Brad Riddell, a third-round knockout.

Fiziev last fought in March 2023 against former Interim UFC champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 PPV event. He started out strong and gave 'The Highlight' a lot of problems with his unmatched speed and diverse striking arsenal. However, Gaethje proved to be the better fighter in the later rounds and emerged victoriously via majority decision, bloodying Fiziev in the process. The loss snapped Fiziev's six-fight winning streak inside the octagon.

Prior to that, Rafael Fiziev pulled off the biggest win of his career in July 2022 against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. After a grueling war, ‘Ataman’ secured a fifth-round knockout, validating his world championship potential. The Kyrgyzstan native is currently the number six-ranked UFC lightweight with a massive opportunity in his upcoming fight.

Watch Rafael Fiziev knock out Rafael dos Anjos below:

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What’s next for Rafael Fiziev?

The loss to Justin Gaethje derailed the momentum Rafael Fiziev had gathered in his initial UFC run and a section of the MMA community even raised questions about his potential against the top crop of the stacked lightweight division. However, the loss has aged well after Gaethje's devastating KO win over former foe Dustin Poirier.

Rafael Fiziev will make a comeback against seventh-ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot in the main event of UFC Fight Night 228 on September 23, 2023. Gamrot suffered the second loss of his professional MMA career against a streaking Beneil Dariush at the UFC 280 PPV event on October 22, 2022. He bounced back from the loss with a split decision win over Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March 2023.

Fiziev and Gamroty will attempt to get another crack at the top five of the lightweight division with a win on September 23.