Fiziev says he is 'a product of himself,' not Kyrgyz MMA — praises Rajabaali as a phenomenon

Rafael Fiziev has distanced himself from the Kyrgyz martial arts school, stating he considers himself self-made and does not identify as a product of that system. He also argued that Valentina Shevchenko should not be considered a product of Kyrgyz MMA, crediting her development to coach Pavel Fedotov and her global training journey. Fiziev praised Rajabaali Yusupov as a unique phenomenon — comparing his rareness to fighters like Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, and Justin Gaethje — while acknowledging the general depth of talent coming from Kyrgyzstan.