UFC star Rafael Fiziev knocked out Rafael dos Anjos in Las Vegas on Saturday night before challenging another man of the same name in tennis legend Nadal.
Fiziev took to the microphone after an epic display of martial arts which saw him go almost the whole five-round distance with former world champion Dos Anjos. And the Kyrgyzstani fighter made another epic call-out, this time to the record-breaking 22-time Grand Slam tennis champion Nadal, in an effort to prove who is "the best Rafael".
The No. 10-ranked fighter has burst into the upper echelons of one of the UFC's toughest divisions over the past three years. He lost his first bout in the Octagon but won his next six, most recently last night against the Brazilian.
"Now we know who is the best Rafael in the UFC," Fiziev told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. "Now we know, and I want to make a new challenge; who is the best Rafael in sport? Rafael Nadal, come here! Where is he? I can beat him in his sport too."
Fiziev comes from a Muay-Thai background, training out of the famous Tiger Muay-Thai gym in Phuket, Thailand. But he showed every facet of his game against the durable Brazilian Dos Anjos, who wouldn't have been miles away from a title shot with a third straight win.
He had been questioned about his accomplishments in the sport earlier this week by the legendary Conor McGregor in a Twitter rant. But he proved his mettle, battling to a stoppage finish in a close fight that almost took him the entirety of the five rounds.
"I look for the finish all around," he continued, before admitting that Dos Anjos had broken his nose during the fight. "I'm tired, who says I have no cardio? Who says he'd take me down and submit me? How many times did he get me down? One time? No problem, I stand up and now I show [my ability]."
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Fiziev would go on to call out former interim champion and twice undisputed title contender Justin Gaethje for his next bout. Having likely secured the No. 7 ranking with his win over Dos Anjos, he wants to continue working his way up, now eyeing up the No. 3 next to Gaethje's name.
"I want a fight with Gaethje," Fiziev said at the post-fight press conference. "We need to know who is the best for you and for me. If you're ready, if you're no scared, if you don't take s***, let's go.
"He's dangerous. He's also a big challenge for me. He has a lot of chance for knocking me out, and I have a lot of chance for knocking him out. That's a good fight, I think, for fans also."
