Will Rafael Fiziev make the leap at UFC Vegas 79?

UFC Vegas 79 headlines with Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot. The Eastern European showdown will feature a striker versus grappler matchup that has the makings of a great bout.

Looking like he was ready for the top, Fiziev will look to rebound from his majority decision loss to Justin Gaethje last March. With a win, his trajectory will more north and back towards a title shot.

Making the leap: Rafael Fiziev needs fireworks at UFC Vegas 79

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Long known as an elite striker and training out of Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, Rafael Fiziev had incredible buzz going into his UFC debut. At 6-0, he took on Magomed Mustafaev. The fight was spoiled when Mustafaev an incredible spinning back kick and finished Fiziev in the first round. The world seemed to be crashing down.

“Ataman” was not deterred, however. He would go on an incredible six fight run and made his name known against the lightweight elite.

The Tiger Muay Thai striking coach rebounded with two great wins against Alex White and Marc Diakiese, winning both via decision.

He took a step up in competition and fought Renato Moicano. At only 4:05 in the first round, Fiziev put Moicano down and had his highest profile win so far. He returned 9 months later and beat Bobby Green in a close decision fight that saw Green come on strong late.

Then Rafael Fiziev and Brad Riddell, the former Tiger Muay Thai coach, we’re booked in December of 2021. This fight had all the makings of a great fight and delivered all that and more. Fiziev started to run away with the fight later in the rounds and eventually put Riddell away with a massive wheel kick. It was time for another step up for the Azerbaijani.

His next challenge was Rafael Dos Anjos, the former lightweight champion. The fight was a leap up and against a fighter who should give Fiziev trouble. Instead, Fiziev shined bright and knocked out Dos Anjos in round five after many questioned his cardio against Bobby Green. One more fight and Fiziev would be at the title shot.

In his way was Justin Gaethje, the future BMF himself. On paper, Fiziev, who fought on the Muay Thai scene, should have beat the brawling Justin Gaethje. Instead, the opposite happened. Justin Gaethje beat Fiziev with his grit and determination. The scorecards were a bit all over the place but Gaethje was handed the decision.

Bounce back or crumble?

If the past is anything to go by, Rafael Fiziev is going to bounce back just fine and go on another six fight win streak. Mateusz Gamrot is an ADCC European Champion and a hellion to deal with on the ground. But Gamrot struggles to get people down at time and really only boxes into clinches with a 1-2.

Knowing this, if Rafael Fiziev can avoid the clinch situations and capitalize on counters to the 1-2 combination, he can make a big statement at UFC Vegas 79. He can punish Gamrot with low kicks and make life miserable for him.

But Fiziev will have to do just that: stay off the ground. Gamrot is fantastic in the scrambles and translations where he routinely turns bad positions into good positions.

Fiziev will have a big test ahead of him at UFC Vegas 79. But he is up for the task.