Fiziev leads CIS fighters with eight UFC post-fight bonuses

Rafael Fiziev has established himself as the most decorated fighter from CIS nations when it comes to UFC post-fight bonuses, having earned eight performance and fight-of-the-night awards across his Octagon career.

Chasing Fiziev in the regional rankings are Khamzat Chimaev, Ilia Topuria, and veteran Dennis Siver, each with seven bonuses to their name. Islam Makhachev, Arman Tsarukyan, and Alexey Oleynik round out the group with six apiece.

Makhachev, 34, is the reigning welterweight champion out of Russia and trains with Eagles MMA. He carries a 28-1 record and is ranked first in the pound-for-pound standings. A technically precise southpaw, he averages 3.2 takedowns per fifteen minutes and lands 58 percent of his significant strikes, among the highest accuracy figures in the sport.

Topuria, known as El Matador, is 29 years old, fights out of Spain, and sits second in the lightweight division while holding the number-one pound-for-pound ranking. His 17-1 record is backed by an aggressive output of 4.81 significant strikes per minute. He is also a credible submission threat, averaging 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes.

Siver, now 47, represents Germany and compiled a 23-11 record over a long UFC career. Fighting out of an orthodox stance with a 70-inch reach, he averaged 3.87 significant strikes landed per minute during his time in the promotion, a volume that helped him collect bonus hardware on multiple occasions.

Why it matters

• Fiziev's eight bonuses place him ahead of several current champions and contenders from the region, underlining his reputation as a consistent finisher and crowd-pleaser.
• Topuria's seven bonuses are particularly notable given his relatively compact 18-fight career, suggesting a high bonus-per-fight rate.
• The list highlights the outsized influence CIS and European fighters have had on UFC entertainment metrics in recent years.