Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev betting odds, fight info and fan predictions for UFC 272 bout

Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev UFC fight info, date and time

Co-main event

Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev is set to go down at UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal at 10:30pm EST on Saturday 5th March 2022 in a 155lbs matchup.

Rafael dos Anjos hasn’t fought in over a year since his victory over late-replacement Paul Felder in November 2020. This fight was dos Anjos’ return to the Lightweight division after an eight-fight run at 170lbs.

Rafael Fiziev is coming off an impressive wheel kick TKO victory against Brad Riddell which makes it 5-in-a-row for the Russian. 

Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev betting odds

Rafael Fiziev opened as the oddsmakers’ favorite with betting odds of -240. Dos Anjos will be the betting underdog with opening odds of +210.

Fight information

This fight was first reported on January 7th to headline the UFC Vegas 48 card. However, due to Fiziev going through visa issues, the fight was moved to UFC 272.

pic.twitter.com/hycLFdLEaH

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 11, 2022

This bout will serve as the co-main event of UFC 272 and remains a five-round fight at 155lbs. 

Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos made a winning return to the Lightweight division with a split decision victory over Paul Felder. Every major media outlet pick had dos Anjos winning comfortably.

First round finish!!@RdosAnjosMMA gets the first round sub at #UFC215!!

RDA making a welterweight run! pic.twitter.com/INcYw92sam

— UFC (@ufc) September 10, 2017

Prior to his last fight, dos Anjos went 4-4 in the 170lbs division, going 1-4 in his last 5 at Welterweight. Notable victories in the division include submission wins against Kevin Lee and Neil Magny.

Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev is on a 5-fight winning streak in the UFC after losing his debut. His last victory over kickboxer Brad Riddell came via a stunning wheel kick to the head.

WHEEL KICK!!!!! @RafaelFiziev landed it on the button 🎯 #UFCVegas44 pic.twitter.com/5Oo8IERQ1m

— UFC (@ufc) December 5, 2021

Fiziev has become something of a fan-favorite over the past 18 months, with all 4 of his fights rewarded with performance bonuses. This included a three-round slugfest with Bobby Green and a first-round KO against Renato Moicano. 

How they match up

Both fighters stand 5”8 tall, although Fiziev will have a small 1-inch reach advantage in the fight. Dos Anjos is considerably older at 37 years old compared to Fiziev who is 28.

Dos Anjos has far more fight experience than his opponent with 43 professional fights, while Fiziev has 12 fights on his record.

Fiziev lands and absorbs more significant punches than dos Anjos, landing 5.35 per minute and absorbing 5.57.

On the other hand, dos Anjos mixes in the takedowns far more often with an average of 1.93 TD’s per 15 minutes to Fiziev’s 0.48.

Reasons to watch

This fight has all the makings of a classic. With elite striking skills and a well-rounded game to match, every UFC fight Rafael Fiziev has been involved in has been memorable.

DO NOT STAND WITH THIS MAN 🤯 #UFC256 pic.twitter.com/4BgCq4LAyg

— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020

Rafael dos Anjos is the former UFC Lightweight champion with world-class skills in every department. He has 10 submission wins on his record but is more than capable of securing the KO.

The stakes

This is a significant fight in the future of the Lightweight division, pitting #6 against #11.

Fiziev is a rising star on a five-fight win streak who many see as a legitimate contender. The former champion dos Anjos still believes he has what it takes to challenge for the belt.

A win for either fighter would guarantee them a huge fight next. String a couple of wins together and the fans will be talking about a title shot.

Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev predictions

The bookies’ predictions have Rafael Fiziev as the favorite in this one with opening odds of -240.

UFC fighters have made their predictions. Arman Tsarukyan believes dos Anjos will utilize his wrestling but ultimately Fiziev will prove victorious:

“I think dos Anjos will wrestle him. The thing is that he hasn’t fought for a long time, and he’s not at his best right now.”

Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev picks

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Rafael dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev tale of the tape

• Significant 9 year age difference: Fiziev is the younger fighter at 28 years old.
• Fiziev has a slight 1 inch reach advantage.
• Significant experience difference: dos Anjos has 31 more professional MMA fights than Fiziev.

Rafael dos Anjos	vs	Rafael Fiziev
37	Age	28
43	Fights	12
30	Wins	11
13	Losses	1
5	KO’s	7
10	Subs	1
5′ 8	Height (in)	5′ 8
70	Reach (in)	71.5

Rafael dos Anjos fighter profile and recent form

Rafael dos Anjos is a 37 year old male fighter from Brazil with 30 pro wins and 13 losses. See Rafael dos Anjos’s full MMA record.

Rafael dos Anjos has a 50% finish rate, including 5 by knockout, 10 by submission, 15 by decision.

Rafael dos Anjos is looking to put together a winning streak, having last beaten Donald Cerrone at Submission Underground 19.

Last 5 bouts

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Weight class	Org
Win	29-13-0	Paul Felder	DEC R5 5:00	UFC Fight Night	2020-11-14	Lightweight	UFC
Loss	29-12-0	Michael Chiesa	DEC R3 5:00	UFC on ESPN+ 24	2020-01-25	Welterweight	UFC
Loss	29-11-0	Leon Edwards	DEC R5 5:00	UFC on ESPN 4	2019-07-20	Welterweight	UFC
Win	28-11-0	Kevin Lee	SUB R4 3:47	UFC on ESPN+ 10	2019-05-18	Welterweight	UFC
Loss	28-10-0	Kamaru Usman	DEC R5 5:00	The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale	2018-11-30	Welterweight	UFC

Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev fighter profile and recent form

Rafael Fiziev is a 28 year old male fighter from Kyrgyzstan with 11 pro wins and 1 losses. See Rafael Fiziev’s full MMA record.

Rafael Fiziev has a 73% finish rate, including 7 by knockout, 1 by submission, 3 by decision.

Rafael Fiziev is currently riding a 5 fight win streak.

Last 5 bouts

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Weight class	Org
Win	10-1-0	Brad Riddell	KO/TKO R3 2:20	UFC Fight Night	2021-12-04	Lightweight	UFC
Win	9-1-0	Bobby Green	DEC R3 5:00	UFC 265	2021-08-07	Lightweight	UFC
Win	8-1-0	Renato Moicano	KO/TKO R1 4:05	UFC 256	2020-12-12	Lightweight	UFC
Win	7-1-0	Marc Diakiese	DEC R3 5:00	UFC Fight Night	2020-07-18	Lightweight	UFC
Win	6-1-0	Alex White	DEC R3 5:00	UFC on ESPN+ 20	2019-10-26	Lightweight	UFC