Rafael Fiziev celebrated his latest spinning heel kick knockout by calling for a shot at the BMF title. Fiziev revealed he suffered double vision after taking a jab in the first round but made the decision to throw the spinning heel kick in the second round, scoring the finish. It is his second spinning heel kick knockout in the UFC, following previous finishes of opponents Riddell and Torres.
Rafael Fiziev delivered another highlight-reel finish and immediately set his sights on bigger hardware, calling for a shot at the BMF title following a spinning heel kick knockout that earned him a post-fight performance bonus.
Fiziev, nicknamed "Ataman," made the finish look straightforward but revealed afterward that he had been compromised from early in the fight, suffering double vision after absorbing a jab in the first round. He pushed through the adversity and made the calculated decision to uncork the spinning heel kick in the second round, sealing the stoppage.
The 33-year-old Kazakhstani is now 14-5 and ranked seventh in the lightweight division, fighting out of Tiger Muay Thai. Standing five-foot-eight with a 71-inch reach, Fiziev operates out of a switch stance and brings elite striking volume to every performance, averaging 4.71 significant strikes landed per minute at a 52 percent accuracy rate. The spinning heel kick KO was his second of that specific variety inside the UFC, with previous finishes of that kind coming against Riddell and Torres, underscoring a rare and repeatable finishing tool in his arsenal.
Why it matters
- Fiziev's BMF title call-out puts him in the conversation for one of the most high-profile awards in the sport, a recognition built around exciting, aggressive fighters.
- A seventh-ranked lightweight with back-to-back highlight finishes carries real leverage in lobbying for a marquee matchup or title-adjacent fight.
- His combination of striking volume, accuracy, and unorthodox weapons makes him a dangerous stylistic puzzle for anyone in the top ten.
