Rafael Fiziev has pushed back against being called a product of the Kyrgyz martial arts school, stating he considers himself self-made. He also distanced Valentina Shevchenko from that label, crediting her development to her coach Pavel Fedotov and her years training abroad. Fiziev praised fellow Kyrgyz fighters Rajabaali and Oralbai as genuine phenomena, calling Rajabaali a one-of-a-kind talent with 100 percent finishes.
Rafael Fiziev used a pre-fight media appearance ahead of UFC Baku to firmly reject the idea that he is a product of the Kyrgyz martial arts school, describing himself instead as self-made.
Fiziev extended that same thinking to Valentina Shevchenko, the reigning Women's Flyweight champion who holds a 26-4-1 professional record. The 38-year-old southpaw from Kyrgyzstan, who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai and lands 3.14 significant strikes per minute with 52 percent accuracy, has long been regarded as one of the defining figures of Kyrgyz combat sports. Fiziev pushed back on that framing, arguing her success belongs not to any national school but to her coach Pavel Fedotov and the years she spent developing her craft abroad.
At the same time, Fiziev was generous in his praise of fighters he does consider authentic products of Kyrgyz MMA. He singled out Rajabaali and Oralbai as genuine phenomena, calling Rajabaali a one-of-a-kind talent and pointing to a finishing rate of 100 percent as evidence of his exceptional ability.
Why it matters
- Fiziev's comments reframe the conversation around Kyrgyz MMA at a moment when the country's fighters are drawing wider international attention
- Distancing himself and Shevchenko from a national school narrative positions both as individually built talents rather than products of a system
- The praise directed at Rajabaali and Oralbai elevates two names who may be less familiar to a global audience, raising their profile ahead of potential UFC opportunities
