It will take more than a close loss to bring Rafael
Fiziev down.
Fiziev (12-2) will look to bounce back from his second-ever
Ultimate Fighting Championship loss that
snapped a six-fight win streak when he takes on Mateusz
Gamrot (22-2) in the main event at
UFC Vegas 79 on Sept. 23. “Ataman” came up on the short side of
a majority decision against Justin
Gaethje at UFC 291. Despite the loss, the bout marked the
Kazakh’s sixth consecutive bonus-winning performance.
While Gaethje is often considered responsible for ruining fighters’
careers with his brutal beatdowns, Fiziev claims to have already
moved on from the loss.
The 30-year-old said during UFC Vegas 79 media day, “I already
forget about [the loss to Gaethje] … I’m focused on my next
opponent. Loss is last time – I’m sad for last time. Everybody
don’t like loss. I want to come back to good win. I want to make a
show again, and I want to get my hand [raised].”
However, Fiziev admits to learning a lesson in humility along with
the need to control the “fire” inside him. After having recklessly
played to the crowd in the past, “Ataman” now knows the importance
of staying collected. When asked if he has any future potential
matchups in mind, Fiziev suggested that instead of thinking about
other opponents, he will keep his thoughts directed towards
himself.
“I’m humble, I’m always humble. No, no. No, have names. I’m second
time learning in the UFC how I need to control my emotions, I need
to stop my fire inside. Because on this fight I follow the fire
inside of me and I feel like I hear the arena how they’re
screaming. And I going forward, want more scream. I have to stay
cold and follow my game plan. That’s what I learned,” Fiziev
concluded.