Rafael Fiziev to undergo surgery on broken nose following UFC Vegas 58 victory
Rafael Fiziev will require some time off following his recent win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58 last weekend. Fiziev will require surgery to repair a broken nose he suffered in the win, the news was first reported by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. As noted in Helwani’s initial report, the hope for Fiziev is that he can return in either November or December.
Rafael Fiziev needs nose surgery, sources say. He’ll be getting that done tomorrow, I’m told. Hoping to return November/December.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 12, 2022
Following his victory over dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev improved to 6-1 in the UFC, while notching his first win over a high-ranking opponent, who just so happened to be a former UFC lightweight champion. The fight was a tough back-and-forth battle between Fiziev and dos Anjos, and while it appeared close heading into the fifth round, Fiziev landed a clean left hook just under 20 seconds into the final round and was able to secure the stoppage victory.
With the win over dos Anjos, “Ataman” has now moved up to become the 7th-ranked fighter in the lightweight division. During his post-fight interview inside the Octagon, he declared himself the “Best Rafael in the UFC” and called out Tennis superstar, Rafael Nadal. The surging contender would have a more serious callout in which he issued a challenge to former interim lightweight champion and former undisputed title challenger, Justin Gaethje. During the recent 2022 Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, Gaethje himself said that he would be sidelined until later this year due to surgery on his own nose.
After securing wins over the likes of Renato Moicano, Bobby Green, Brad Riddell, and now dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev has undoubtedly entrenched himself into the top of the lightweight division where there is no shortage of game opponents awaiting him. Now that his name is one amongst a highlight list of contenders, when Fiziev does return to action, he’ll have an opportunity to take his new ranking slot and put himself into the title contention conversation with a victory.
