Rafael Fiziev was in desperate need of a victory at UFC on ABC 8, and he got the job done against Ignacio Bahamondes to snap a three-fight skid.
Although his previous defeats came to the elite in Justin Gaethje twice and Mateusz Gamrot, it was an important moment for Fiziev (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who mixed up his striking and grappling well over three rounds against Bahamondes (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) for the unanimous decision win with three 30-27 scorecards in the lightweight contest at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The opening round was somewhat tentative, with Fiziev and Bahamondes both working to find their range and score something of significance. There were many kicks exchanged, and in between them some clean punches landed but nothing that appeared to hurt either athlete.
Bahamondes changed course to start the second round by shooting for an early takedown that was shut down by Fiziev. Bahamondes tried to push Fiziev into the cage but it was largely ineffective, but it opened up more striking opportunities when they got back to range. With a little more than a minute remaining Fiziev turned the tide and got two takedowns then landed a hard punch late that sent Bahamondes to his backside.
With a chance to secure the win in the final round, Fiziev picked up his pace and started to land with more consistency. Bahamondes obliged to his desired range and more landed straight punches, his most effective blow of the fight, but Fiziev took them all well. Fiziev closed the fight strong with a final takedown and some ferocious punches on the mat.
After getting his hand raised for the first time since July 2022, Fiziev expressed his desire to climb back up toward the top of the lightweight rankings.
“I’m happy to represent my homeland here,” Fiziev said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I don’t know (who is next). I’m a rocket man. You can send me to the moon.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 8 results:
- Rafael Fiziev def. Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Curtis Blaydes def. Rizvan Kuniev via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Myktybek Orolbai def. Tofiq Musayev via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 4:35
- Nazim Sadykhov def. Nikolas Motta via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:17
- Muhammad Naimov def. Bogdan Grad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Seok Hyun Ko def. Oban Elliott via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- JunYong Park def. Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-25)
- Daria Zhelezniakova def. Melissa Mullins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Klaudia Sygula def. Irina Alekseeva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mohammed Usman def. Hamdy Abdelwahab via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
