Rafael Fiziev admits he's contemplating a massive career change after UFC 313 defeat
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UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev is contemplating a significant change after falling to Justin Gaethje at UFC 313.
Rafael Fiziev‘s short-notice rematch with Justin Gaethje delivered with an epic ‘Fight of the Night’ at UFC 313 last Saturday in Las Vegas. But while Fiziev walked away with a lucrative post-fight performance bonus, he fell short on the judges’ scorecards, falling to Gaethje by unanimous decision.
It was a closely contested fight from start to finish, and some viewers scored the fight in Fiziev’s favor. But after falling to 0-2 against Gaethje, Fiziev’s path to a potential title shot is further delayed.
Outside of his two losses to Gaethje, Fiziev has been on a roll in the lightweight division since his promotional debut. He’s one of the division’s most dangerous strikers and is a matchup headache for the top contenders.
Despite Fiziev’s placement in the lightweight rankings, he’s contemplating a fresh start at this point in his MMA journey.
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Rafael Fiziev reveals UFC 313 was the easiest weight cut of his career despite weeks’ notice.
During a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Fiziev revealed a big change he wants to make in this next chapter of his UFC career.
“I’m starting to think about changing weight divisions, because I cut weight very easily this time, and it was on short-notice,” Fiziev said. “All this week, my nutritionist tried to get me to gain weight because I cut it so fast…right now, I think I have to think about it.
“I’ve thought about [featherweight] for a long time, because I’m not big for [lightweight],” Fiziev continued. “I want to fight with the top guys, and all of these guys in the Top 10, they’re very interesting. But man, these guys will have trouble if I come there.”
Fiziev’s comments come despite recent lightweight wins against the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Brad Riddell, and Bobby Green. If the UFC 313 scorecards had gone a different direction, Fiziev would’ve made a strong case for a title shot.
If Fiziev is serious about a move to featherweight, he’ll look to learn from fellow lightweight Dan Hooker’s lopsided one-fight stint at 145lbs. Hooker moved down to featherweight for a clash with Arnold Allen, losing by TKO.
Rafael Fiziev to featherweight would help add starpower after Ilia Topuria’s departure
Fiziev’s addition to the featherweight division would help substitute some of the lost starpower from Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight. Topuria, after knocking out Max Holloway at UFC 308, announced a move to lightweight and could potentially be Islam Makhachev’s next foe.
After Holloway and Topuria’s featherweight departures, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will clash for the vacant title at UFC 314. The winner would likely meet the undefeated Movsar Evloev for their first title defense.
Fiziev could potentially jump the line if he earns a win over a top featherweight such as Evloev, Brian Ortega, or Arnold Allen. Patricio Pitbull and Yair Rodriguez will clash at UFC 314, with a potential title shot on the line for the winner.
Fiziev hasn’t fought at featherweight in his career, and a drop to 145 lbs would likely be harder than he anticipates. But after the Gaethje fight, Fiziev’s stock remains high, and he’d be a dark horse in the featherweight division.
