Rafael Fiziev Rejects Label as Product of Kyrgyz MMA School

UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev has distanced himself from being identified as a product of the Kyrgyz martial arts system, stating he considers himself self-made. Fiziev also argued that Valentina Shevchenko should not be classified as a product of the Kyrgyz school either, noting she trained there only five or six years before traveling the world. He praised fellow fighters Razhabali and Orolbai as genuine phenomena, and compared Justin Gaethje's rare natural gifts to those of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Jon Jones.