Fiziev is set to face Justin Gaethje in an upcoming bout but before that let's take a look to know more about his journey to becoming the incredible fighter that he is now.
Rafael Fiziev is an Azerbaijani professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter. He was born in Korday, Kazakhstan, and currently competes in the lightweight division.
Fiziev's family moved to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan when he was a child. He took up Muay Thai when he was 11 years old and also practiced other combat sports like sambo, boxing, Jiu Jitsu, and wrestling.
In the year 2016, Fiziev participated in the Toyota Marathon Tournament and won. He further participated in the 2017 Toyota Marathon 154 lb tournament as well and defeated Detrit Sathian Gym. He went on 5o take up multiple Muay Thai fights.
He made his professional MMA debut in the year 2015 by fighting in Asian regional promotions like ROAD FC and the American promotion Titan FC before he signed with UFC. For his upcoming Fight, he is set to face Justin Gaethje on March 18, 2023, at UFC 286.
He has won multiple championships like Fight of the Night (two times) and Performance of the Night (Three times) at UFC. He was also awarded by the Combat Press as the 2021 Breakout Fighter of the Year.
He won the Kyrgyz Muaythai Federation 3x and became the Kyrgyzstan Muay Thai Champion (2007, 2008, and 2009). He won the International Federation of Muaythai Associations championship in 2009, the 2011 Kazakhstan National Champion, 2016 IFMA World Championships, and later became the 2010 WMF Intercontinental -63.5 kg Champion.