Fiziev rejects label of Kyrgyz MMA product, credits only himself

Rafael Fiziev has firmly rejected being described as a product of the Kyrgyz martial arts school, stating he considers himself self-made and does not associate his development with the country. He also argued that Valentina Shevchenko, who trained in Kyrgyzstan for five to six years before moving abroad, should not be considered a product of that system either, crediting her coach Pavel Fedotov and her own global journey instead. Fiziev praised Kyrgyz fighters Rajabali and Orolbai as genuine phenomena, comparing their natural gifts to those of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Jon Jones.