The UFC has rebooked a highly anticipated lightweight main event that was supposed to take place earlier this year. Last night, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news that former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos (31-13) would be taking on Rafael Fiziev (11-1).
The fight will headline a UFC Fight Night on July 9th. Originally, these two were supposed to headline a UFC Fight Night in February. However, Fiziev struggled getting his visa and as a result, the fight was pushed back to UFC 272. Then, Fiziev caught covid and was pulled from the fight.
Dos Anjos stayed on UFC 272’s card and ended up taking on Renato Moicano. RDA brutalized Moicano and walked away with a decision victory. The win was RDA’s second straight win since returning to the division that made him a world champion.
A few years ago, RDA decided to move up to welterweight after losing his title to Eddie Alvarez then losing to Tony Ferguson. RDA had a decent run and even fought Colby Covington for the interim UFC welterweight title. However, he couldn’t find the same level of success at 170 that he did at 155.
In 2020, he decided to move back down to lightweight and defeated Paul Felder in his first bout. This fight with Fiziev will be his toughest test since moving back down to 155.
Fiziev gets former UFC champion
When Rafael Fiziev made his debut in the UFC, he was a perfect 6-0. Like many great fighters, he struggled in his promotional debut. However, he’s been perfect since. After losing his first fight with the UFC, Fiziev has gone on an impressive five fight winning streak.
The last time we saw him was at a UFC Fight Night in December when he took on fellow elite striker Brad Riddell. Fiziev was able to score the highlight reel knockout when he knocked out Riddell with a wheel kick.
This is a huge fight for both men in a talent-rich lightweight division. Whoever wins this main event in July will be set to jump into title contention.