Rafael Fiziev rejects label as product of Kyrgyz martial arts, praises Radjabali as a phenomenon

Rafael Fiziev has distanced himself from being called a product of the Kyrgyz martial arts school, saying he considers himself self-made and does not associate Valentina Shevchenko with that system either. He credited Kyrgyz fighters' rise to natural physical attributes and a sporting culture rather than any national school, and singled out Radjabali as a once-in-a-generation phenomenon comparable to Justin Gaethje, Islam Makhachev, Khabib, and Jon Jones.