Lightweight contender Dan Hooker has chimed in with his take on a hypothetical bout in his division.
‘The Hangman’ imagines a potential scrap between Rafael Fiziev and Justin Gaethje as a rough night at the office for both men but believes it’s one the younger rising star should ultimately win.
During The AllStar MMA Live show following UFC Vegas 58, Hooker visualized the match-up, and deduced “that’s a true, just, striking battle, right?”
“…If I had to [choose] – right now, gun to my head,” the Kiwi continued. “I’d be putting money on Fiziev for that fight.”
The Azerbaijani powerhouse put out the call for Gaethje during his post-fight media scrum following a fifth-round knockout of Rafael dos Anjos on Saturday – a finish, Fiziev believes, earned him a spot opposite a top-five contender.
Hooker gave an estimation of how the two 155-pounders strengths would play out inside the cage, should the stars aline in favor of the requested pairing.
“Those are two of the best defensive wrestlers in the division. I don’t see either of them implementing a wrestling-style attack. Obviously Gaethje with the boxing and with the strikes – and then Fiziev’s kicks, like, it would be very difficult for Gaethje to get his hands going with those kicks going. I’d say Gaethje’s footwork is very good, so is Fiziev’s. Like Fiziev has a very good understanding of footwork…”
“It would be very difficult for Gaethje to get his hands going with those kicks going.”
Dan Hooker to The AllStar’s John Hyon Ko
Regardless of his predicted outcome, the New Zealand native reiterated the fact that “[it’s] a tough battle,” no matter who might walk away with the win.
Hooker admitted he’d ideally prefer to see ‘Ataman’ take on Polish contender Mateusz Gamrot, who sits lower on the ladder, but applauded his moxie in aiming a little higher.
“He could probably get that fight.”
“Why not shoot a bit further than you’re targeting, right? That definitely makes a lot of sense… If I was in the same spot, I’d be trying to get one of the stars, one of the bigger names in the division, one of the guys that’s actually gonna chuck you in the mix – or one of the guys that you’re actually gonna get a title shot out of.”
The Kiwi added that in other divisions, a knockout in a Fight Night headliner such as that of dos Anjos would be rewarded with a title shot – but that’s not the case in the UFC’s premier 155-pound division.
“Lightweight is not like any other divisions… Any other division – you main event a fight night, and your next fight is for the title… Lightweight, you win the main event with a knockout, you don’t get anything!”
“You get another tough fight. You’re shit out of luck!”
Fighter profile
Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev is a 29-year-old male fighter from Kyrgyzstan with 11 pro wins and 1 loss. Fiziev is scheduled to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev on Saturday, July 9, 2022.
Rafael Fiziev’s recent form coming into this matchup
Rafael Fiziev has gone 5-0 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Brad Riddell • KO/TKO R3 2:20 • 2021-12-04
- Win vs Bobby Green • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-08-07
- Win vs Renato Moicano • KO/TKO R1 4:05 • 2020-12-12
- Win vs Marc Diakiese • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-07-18
- Win vs Alex White • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-10-26
Rafael Fiziev’s next opponent: Rafael dos Anjos
Rafael dos Anjos’s recent form coming into this matchup
Rafael dos Anjos is a 37 year old male fighter from Brazil with 31 pro wins and 13 losses. dos Anjos is scheduled to fight Rafael Fiziev at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev on Saturday July 9, 2022.
Rafael dos Anjos has gone 3-2 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Renato Moicano • Decision R5 5:00 • 2022-03-05
- Win vs Paul Felder • Decision R5 5:00 • 2020-11-14
- Loss vs Michael Chiesa • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-01-25
- Loss vs Leon Edwards • Decision R5 5:00 • 2019-07-20
- Win vs Kevin Lee • Submission R4 3:47 • 2019-05-18
How to watch and bet on Rafael Fiziev vs Rafael dos Anjos
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