Watching Justin Gaethje defy the odds ignited a fire in Rafael Fiziev.
Fiziev (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who lost to Gaethje in two Fight of the Night bouts, was happy to see his former foe pull off a giant upset this month in his UFC lightweight title unification bout against Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. Gaethje came in as a heavy underdog, and managed to beat Topuria into a corner stoppage after the fourth round.
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For Fiziev, it was an inspiring performance.
“I’m very happy to him,” Fiziev said. “He motivated me with this fight so much. Honestly, I think if he’s going to jump into my body one time and feel what I feel after his fight, after that, he’s going to hug me and say, ‘Bro, thank you for this. Thank you for that, you know, to be happy for me like that because I’m really happy for his win.’ He’s really motivated me with that win and I’m happy because I fought him twice, and the way he finished the fight. Yeah that’s amazing.”
Apart from feeling happy for Gaethje, Fiziev in some way got validation on his skill set. He lost to Gaethje twice, but both went the distance and were competitive bouts and received Fight of the Night bonuses.
“It’s making me believe more in my skills, yeah.” Fiziev said. “It’s making me believe for my power more, and like I said, he motivated me a lot with that. Before this fight, I was not believed for his win. I was honestly, I don’t want this fight because I think maybe Topuria is going to give him hard damage, you know, because he’s a good boxer with strong power. Justin, what he have against Topuria? Also boxing, dirty boxing, like it’s hard. But when his fight starts, first round, second round, and I see how it’s going. Yeah, that’s amazing.”
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The motivation is coming at a good time for Fiziev. He fights this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 280 (Paramount+) – which takes place at Crystal Palace in Baku, Azerbaijan. Fiziev, who enters the fight as the local being from Azerbaijan, takes on dangerous striker Manuel Torres (17-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC).
“Yeah, he’s a strong guy. He’s a strong guy,” Fiziev said. “He has bombs on his hands. But I’m also a strong guy. I’m growing in a gym from 11 years old. I’m in a gym from 11 years old. I fight every month, every week sometimes. I’m also doing this all my life. I really enjoy that, and I really love that. Yeah, I see he finishes in the first round. He likes to stay relaxed in the fight, and sometimes he’s explosive, and every time he touches the face, his opponents have a problem with that. But this MMA, sometimes we think everything is good, but everything is not good. I’m ready for everything. And everything that he prepared for me, I’m ready for that. And I believe for my power, 100 percent.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Rafael Fiziev: Justin Gaethje’s UFC White House win ‘motivated me’
