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Rafael Fiziev had choices for his callout after his UFC Vegas 58 win over Rafael dos Anjos. Specifically, the game’s most well-known famous person — Conor McGregor — beefed with Fiziev all all through combat week. It might’ve made sense for Fiziev to attempt to capitalize on the headlines and land contained in the McGregor orbit for the Irishman’s eventual UFC comeback.
However that’s not Fiziev’s fashion.
The 29-year-old light-weight contender as a substitute turned his crosshairs towards Justin Gaethje. And the silence he’s heard since from the two-time title challenger has been deafening.
“Everybody tries to name out McGregor,” Fiziev stated Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “Everybody tries to name out him. I don’t perceive it and I don’t need to step in the identical manner. Everybody, who — [Michael] Chandler, everybody needs a combat with him. OK, any individual go and combat with this man. However for me, I would like Gaethje now.
“However the place is Gaethje? I don’t know why [he hasn’t responded]. I’m questioning why he nonetheless doesn’t reply me. He has additionally harm, similar [as me]. We have to know. We have to discover out who’s the nostril job [king], who is best now. However he nonetheless says nothing.”
A matchup between Fiziev and Gaethje actually is sensible.
Fiziev’s win over dos Anjos jumped him into the No. 7 spot on MMA Fighting’s lightweight rankings, whereas Gaethje is at present sitting at No. 4. Fiziev’s rise has been highlighted by six straight wins below the UFC umbrella, together with huge knockouts of Renato Moicano, Brad Riddell, and dos Anjos. He’s received post-fight bonuses within the final 5 of these bouts. Gaethje, likewise, has been a bonus machine within the UFC, racking up 10 post-fight bonuses throughout his 10-fight octagon run. In a division overflowing with sturdy wrestlers, Fiziev is assured his stand-up fashion is strictly what Gaethje is in search of after his current loss to Charles Oliveira.
“That’s combat for him,” Fiziev stated. “What, if he doesn’t combat with me, then who? If he doesn’t combat me, with who you may go right into a combat with? With [Beneil] Dariush or [Mateusz] Gamrot? This isn’t match for him. For him, it is a good match with me now, as a result of he likes stand-up combating. He likes to combat and I prefer to combat. He needs to wrestle? Then he [can fight] Dariush or Gamrot. I feel I’m the right match for him now.”
The timelines could match up as nicely. Each Fiziev and Gaethje lately underwent surgical procedure to restore their injured noses.
Fiziev stated he hasn’t heard again from UFC officers concerning his proposition, however he and his staff stay hopeful.
“I feel it’s too quickly [to know], as a result of they each bought off surgical procedure so it is dependent upon when each of them can come again,” stated Fiziev’s supervisor and translator Sayat Abdrakhmanov. “However probably it’s combat of the yr, this type of combat. Stylistically, it’s fan pleasant.”
Fiziev added he believes he’ll be “actually shut” to a UFC title shot if he’s capable of get the Gaethje combat and win.
Oliveira is at present set to face Islam Makhachev for the vacant light-weight title at UFC 280, nonetheless the division is missing a real No. 1 contender after that combat. Fiziev needs to be that man. He predicted Makhachev to defeat Oliveira and stated he likes the stylistic matchup between himself and the dreaded Dagestani sambo artist.
However first Fiziev must get again to full well being. He’s nonetheless ready to seek out out his timeline for a return, however he’s hoping to combat once more earlier than 2022 is over.
“I hope. We’ll see what occurs with my nostril,” Fiziev stated. “Final time after I make surgical procedure for my knee, my knee surgical procedure, like after seven months I used to be able to combat. I’m a fast healer. , I’m like a road canine — if I’ve some accidents, it’s [healing] quick. And I hope this time is identical.”
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