Rafael Fiziev Rejects Label as Product of Kyrgyz MMA, Praises Rajabaali as 'Phenomenon'

Rafael Fiziev has distanced himself from being called a product of the Kyrgyz martial arts school, stating he considers himself self-made. He also argued that Valentina Shevchenko should not be credited to Kyrgyz MMA, noting she trained there only five or six years before moving abroad and that her coach Pavlo Fedotov drew from Korean taekwondo. Fiziev praised Rajabaali as a global phenomenon, comparing his rare gifts to those of fighters like Islam Makhachev, Khabib, and Justin Gaethje.