Rafael Fiziev Proud to Find Success in Championship Rounds: ‘This Means Something’

Rafael Fiziev made a strong impression in his first UFC main event appearance.

After four hard-fought rounds, the lightweight contender put an emphatic stamp on the fight when he knocked out Rafael dos Anjos 18 seconds into the final stanza of their UFC on ESPN 39 clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. At the post-fight press conference, Fiziev revealed that his corner gave him a fiery pep talk heading into Round 5.

“In Round 5, my friend and manager and corner, he started to talk to me like his dog, and he started to say to me bad words,” Fiziev said. “‘He said, ‘Hey, what the f—-k are you doing? Go in and f—k him up, or I’ll f—k you up when we go back to the hotel.’ I think, oh, I need to go to Round 5 and do something. ... He always talks with me like this.”

While Fiziev was ahead on the scorecards prior to the finish, he didn’t emerge from the bout unscathed.

“This is first time in 20 years of fighting and he broke my nose,” Fiziev said. “I can't breathe now. I think I might need to go to hospital and need surgery.”

In earning his sixth straight victory, Fiziev fought into the championship rounds for the first time in his UFC tenure. It’s a significant step for a fighter with title aspirations.

“It’s a big difference [fighting five rounds], but yeah, I’m tired,” he said. “But I got a finish in the fifth round. This means something – I can fight five rounds.”

After besting a former lightweight champion, there’s nowhere to go but up in the division. Fiziev further elaborated on his callout of Justin Gaethje at the post-fight press conference. His reasoning for wanting the fight is fairly simple.

“He’s dangerous also and a big challenge for me,” Fiziev said. “I think he has a lot of chance to knock me out, and I have a lot of chance to knock him out. That’s a good fight, I think, for fans also.”