Rafael Fiziev returned to winning ways in memorable fashion at UFC Baku, stopping Manuel Torres in the second round of their lightweight clash on Saturday.
The 33 year old striker, known for his sharp Muay Thai background and explosive attacks, was competing in Azerbaijan for the second time and kept his perfect record in the country intact. However, the victory was far from straightforward.
Fiziev revealed after the fight that a clean jab from Torres in the opening round badly affected his left eye. According to the Kazakh born fighter, his vision became heavily distorted, making it difficult to see his opponent, his corner, and even where to sit between rounds.
Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Fiziev admitted that the finishing sequence was not as calculated as it may have looked. He said he could barely see when he decided to throw the spinning kick that changed the contest. Fiziev explained that he only had a sense of where Torres was standing and trusted his instincts before launching the strike.
The gamble paid off perfectly. Just 15 seconds into the second round, Fiziev landed a spinning wheel kick before following up with punches to seal an important stoppage win.
The result was a much needed breakthrough for Fiziev, who had endured a difficult spell in the UFC. After beginning his professional career with a 12 and 1 record, he suffered a setback against Justin Gaethje in March 2023. That defeat was followed by an inconsistent run, including injury trouble from an ACL tear.
The win over Torres gave Fiziev his first finish since July 2022 and helped ease the pressure after a challenging period in his career.
Fiziev remains one of the few fighters to have shared the Octagon twice with current UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, going the full three rounds with him on both occasions. Despite knowing Gaethje well, Fiziev admitted he did not expect him to defeat Ilia Topuria earlier this month at UFC Freedom 250.
