Rafael Fiziev

Overview

Rafael Fiziev lost his UFC debut in 86 seconds, then won six straight. That is the shape of the whole career: a fast start downward, a long climb, and a run of fights that keep ending early one way or the other.

The Lightweight is 8-5 in the UFC. Four of the eight wins came by KO/TKO and four by decision, with no submissions. Three of the five losses also came by KO/TKO. His fights tend to end before the bell, in either direction.

He carries a one-fight win streak into his next bout, a second-round finish of Manuel Torres in a main event.

UFC Career

It started badly. Fiziev made his debut in April 2019 and lost to Magomed Mustafaev by KO/TKO at 1:26 of the first round.

What followed was the best stretch of his career. He beat Alex White and Marc Diakiese by unanimous decision, then stopped Renato Moicano in the first round at 4:05. A decision over King Green kept the streak moving. Then came Brad Riddell, a stoppage in round three, and our model rates Riddell a strong opponent.

The sixth win in the run was the big one. In July 2022 Fiziev headlined against Rafael Dos Anjos, another opponent our model rates as strong. It was a five-round main event, and he finished it by KO/TKO at 0:18 of round five. Four rounds of work, then done in 18 seconds.

Then the level of opposition went up and the results turned. Justin Gaethje took a majority decision in March 2023. Mateusz Gamrot stopped him in round two of a main event six months later. After a gap of about a year and a half, a 2025 rematch with Gaethje ended in a unanimous decision loss, and our model rates Gaethje elite. Three losses in his four fights after Dos Anjos, all to strong or elite opponents.

He rebuilt with a unanimous decision over Ignacio Bahamondes, but Mauricio Ruffy stopped him in round two at 4:30 in January 2026. In June 2026 he headlined against Manuel Torres and finished it in 15 seconds of round two.

Fifteen seconds. His shortest night since the debut.

Fighting Style

Fiziev is a busy, accurate striker who throws a lot and lands a high share of it. The trade-off is that he gets hit more than most, and his defense is only about average. That has shown up in the results, with three of his five losses coming by knockout or TKO.

He rarely looks for takedowns and almost never hunts for submissions, so his offense stays on the feet. His takedown defense is excellent, which makes him hard to put on the mat.

He finishes with strikes, never submissions. Of his four finishes, one came in round one, one in round two, one in round three and one in round five.

Notable Wins

• Rafael Dos Anjos — KO/TKO, round 5 (0:18), UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev (2022)
• Brad Riddell — KO/TKO, round 3 (2:20), UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Aldo (2021)
• Renato Moicano — KO/TKO, round 1 (4:05), UFC 256 (2020)
• Manuel Torres — KO/TKO, round 2 (0:15), UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres (2026)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 8-5 (4 KO/TKO, 4 decision)
• Professional record (all promotions): 14-5-0
• UFC debut: April 19, 2019
• Stance: Switch
• Height / Reach: 5'8" / 71.5"
• Team: Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket, Thailand
• Born: Kyrgyzstan