Rafael Fiziev called out Justin Gaethje, here’s who Khabib Nurmagomedov picked between the two.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken about a possible matchup between Rafael Fiziev and Justin Gaethje. Fiziev, who called out Gaethje after his win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58, currently has a record of 12 wins and 1 loss in MMA. He has defeated 7 opponents in the UFC at the moment and remains unbeaten.
Kahbib Nurmagomedov spoke of the possible matchup when asked by a Russian interviewer. He said, “ Right now, I think Fiziev Would Win, 51/49 or 60/40 Call It What You Want. But I Think Fiziev Has the Edge.”
Fiziev called out Gaethje at the post-fight presser and has spoken to MMA news outlets in the middle-east and Russia. Here is an interview of Fiziev posted on YouTube where he speaks about Gaethje and a possible matchup with him:
What Do We Know About Rafael Fiziev?
Rafael Fiziev is a Kyrgyzstani fighter who made his first fight in the UFC in 2019. He is of Azerbaijani origin and now represents the country in the UFC owing to the prosecution of Shia Muslims in Kyrgyzstan. At present, he is based out of Phuket, Thailand.
Fiziev has said that he finds Nurmagomedov a boring fighter.
In an interview from last year, he explained that they both have different styles. He called Khabib hard and complimented his wins. However, he revealed that wrestling bored him and referenced Islam Makhachev vs Drew Dober at UFC 259 as an example.
“I was never his fan. He’s very hard and you can win against everyone with his wrestling that Khabib has, but I don’t like fights like when Islam Makhachev fought with Drew Dober (at UFC 259). Three rounds of just wrestling and nothing to show. He finished him, but it was a boring fight.”
However, Fiziev has also expressed admiration for Nurmagomedov. He said that Khabib smashed everyone during his time and left. The post-Khabib era is one to look at since everyone is at a good level here. He also said the top five lightweights like Chandler, Oliveira, Poirier and Gaethje will have good competition among them.
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