Rafael Fiziev Blames ‘Stupid Decisions’ for UFC 286 Loss | The MMA Hour
Rafael Fiziev discusses his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 286, what went wrong, why he likes a bloody picture from the fight, if he wishes there was two more rounds, and more.
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For a fighter that just barely turned 30, that fight was definitely a valuable learning experience imo
Reminded me of Gamrot vs Dariush,losing the fight due to lack of experience and being little reckless but I am sure he will come back better.
Fiziev is a future contender, champion even.
@User6272 he did but bro he is realistic af dude literally knows he played Justin’s game and what he did wrong, the only way is up for the dude with his mindset based on the interview
@@User-uw6cv yeah your opinion is invalid as soon you said "Justin is the best technically sound kicker in history". Tell me your a casual without actually telling me your a casual.
He lost the fight because Justin was just bigger and had more power
I'm a fan now. His mentality is great. I love that he doesn't want to even entertain the prospect that he won cause he's dissatisfied with his performance. That's good. Means he has high standards and will try harder. Also love how he loves his bloody photo.
Now🙀.. Where ya been Brahhhh!?
Agreed. He has a very bright future.
I'm with you on being a fan of this guy. He has been battle tested and shown he is ready
Even if you think he won or lost this guy proved he’s one of the best LWs in the world and definitely one of the most exciting, the speed of this guy is terrifying
Bro definitely lost
He played Justin’s game
And after a loss like that, with his warrior mindset, he's only going to get smarter and more dangerous.
Gaethje won that fight but Fiziev should be doing PPV main cards only! I luv this dude so much man, he's so fun to watch and super super Talented.
Yeah speed for just 1 round
Him saying he knows when he lost is so damn refreshing The fact is was a close fight makes it impressive. Especially when Ariel opens up with “I thought you won” Most fighters seem to plead for the W in this situation
made me grow so much more respect to him than i already had.
PERFECTLY SAID, AND COULDN'T AGREE MORE 💯🤝
when they have role models like McGregor and other cheaters usually lower level fighters will try to act the same. This is why Khabib was trying to say that they need to clean the sport. MMA is a manly sport and fighter should be acting with manliness and sportmanship, not making excuses and trying to trash talk their career up.
Bro he won 1 and 2
@@djdoomy yess, bro💪
Exactly why I’m a huge fan of him and Gaethje.. He’s one of the very few fighters to not say they thought they won. Even a bigger fan and much more respect after 5 minutes of Raf talking
When talking about how his face hurts he said "This is very good humble pie" 😂 callback game on point
Man took some hard, clean shots. Respect, and he will be in the mix for some time still.
time stamp?
@@ItsameAlex 3:15
Best part of the interview I literally laughed out loud and Ariel ignored it because he was so invested in "I thought you won".... Ariel sucks out loud
Respect! Was straight up in his assessment and didn’t play the blame game of the judges. Sure the Fight could of went either way but Justin definitely did more more of the damage and deserved the W. The idiots saying he got robbed are some of the biggest morons in the world. I have so much respect for this dude
He won 1 and 2
Thank God the fans votes don’t matter.
Gotta appreciate humbleness and honestly in this game
Humility** Honesty**
It’s really a breath of fresh air that he actually acknowledged his “stupid decisions”. This kinda acknowledgments usually serves as a motivator for the fighter to become better! I reckon Fiziev will come back stronger than ever, and he’s a future contender for sure!
A true man admitting he fall Short on a very close war ... Kudos to him
Lots of respect to Rafael. That was a great fight. But the damage just added up. I am excited for his future. “You are a great fighter and you always bring it”
There is no shame in losing to Gaethje. I think Fiz vs Gamrot next makes sense.
With a wrestler? Not unless he is given a title shot of he is able to win it.
wrestler to difficult. Tsarukian sometimes strikes so he might be good, but he also wrestles. Jleon.
This is the Ultimate RESPECT boost for me! I was a fan and respected him before, but after watching this I just appreciate his mind set and honesty about the way he viewed his own fight! I had Justin Gaejthe winning the fight but man it was an incredible fight! Much love Ariel and Much love to Rafael Fiziev and his team!
Very rare and unique mindset! This guy is truly a realist and humble.
Did Ariel make it seem like if it wasnt for the 10-8 he would've won? That isnt the case. He still would've lost a split decision.
Anybody that fights any of Ali guys he represents Ariel always thinks they lose and a guy on his show won Anyone ever noticed that
Because they don’t go on his show
Ariel should be covering trans figure skating...... The absolute pinnacle of horrible "journalism" He missed the best part of the whole thing "This humble pie is pretty good" 😁
but this is a robbery no one talks about ....
Ariel just saying he thought he won cuz Gaethje is under Ali and is friends with Usman. Love Ariel, but he takes his personal issues too far. Fiziev a W for this and giving respect where it’s due.
Yup😂
Extra credit to fisiev for not blaming a shitty decision even after ariels leading question
Such nonsense, a journalist like ariel would absolutely never ask this leading question thing you speak of
I thought the body shots in the 2nd round outdid Gaethje’s damage but that’s just me. If he sharpens a couple things up, he can be back in title contention very soon.
Body shots are simply less damaging than jabs, hooks and uppercuts to the head. Even if Fiziev takes the second round by a hair that doesn't justify the damage he took on the third round with no response. Pretty sure Justin also landed a little more overall when you look at the score cards. Justins punches simply had more impact
@@stuts2371 if Fiziev hypothetically wins round 2, then doesn't he win the fight considering he won round 1?
@@stuts2371 Words from someone whos never boxed . one good body shot is worth 10 jabs to the head
@@matthewsalesman5225 It does. Justin handily took the 3rd but it wasn't enough to warrant a 10-8 because Rafa rocked Justin bad early in the round.
It doesnt matter if Fiziev won 2 rounds. It became clear in the 3rd round Justin was the better fighter. Fiziev is lucky the fight wasnt 5 rounds.
For what it's worth.. Amazing fight! Fiziev stock only went up.. I'll always watch him fight.
That's the best thing I heard a fighter say. "I'm a professional fighter, I know if I won or lost". The maturity on this guy is unreal. Much respect to Rafael. I'm definitely a bigger fan of his. He will get better and learn from this fight and def will be a champ in the future
This is a true warrior, so much respect and also a new fan since this interview. He will be UFC champion sooner or later. Greetings from the basque country
Fizzy gonna be scary when he levels up from this loss. Dude is a beast 🙏💪🤩
Justin gave Fiziev a portrait painting for his house. How nice of him!
One of the best UFC fights ever and both men are crazy tough. Fiziev is a monster and should hold his head high. First time against top 5 competition, he will learn and hopefully come back stronger. He might have lost the fight but gained a ton of fans (me for sure). Cant wait to see whats next for Fiziev
His speed is incredible. I actually thought he won the first 2.
Fiziev looked insanely fast and sharp. He’s definitely the best striker technically speaking at LW. It’s crazy how he wobbled Justin and touched him a lot but he Justin didn’t wear any of the damage. Either way it was a great display. I’m still a little weary of his gas tank since that seems to be the recurring issue in his career so far. Even then I’ll never miss one of his fights from here on out.
Fiziev's face cuts easier It happens in almost all his fights
If there's any improvements that need to be added to his game its with the boxing specifically with straight punches and head movement. He needs to utilize more jabs and crosses instead of hooks, if Fiziev can upgrade his boxing skills and implement with his Muay Thai he can become a champion. Gaethje should also learn to utilize straight punches a lot more often as well, he has a piston jab that he never uses as a primary weapon, only as an adjustment when Trevor Wittman calls for it.
@@madgavin7568 Agreed. I also think if Fiziev would’ve used a consistent front kick it would’ve helped him manage distance and stop Justin from blitzing in with tight hooks and uppercuts. He had the speed advantage but kept trying to engage in the phone booth where Justin was doing more damage. Plus yeah once Justin started using that jab it completely threw Fiziev off his game and led to a dominant third round from Justin. It’s clean like Usman’s is.
@@crazypato3752 Yeah lets just pretend Justin isnt the hardest hitter in light weight.
@@isaiah1931 I like to counter jabs with low kicks when I'm sparring
It was his first big fight in front of millions of viewers. This is where you need your corner to give you proper instruction, to see the occasion is playing with his head. Very close fight though.
What a great chap. He will bounce back
Fiziev did great against Justin despite the loss. He took Justin's shots very well and barely got rocked, and he was able to rock justin at times which surprised me since I didn't think his power could match justins. Overall a great learning experience where he will definitely bounce back soon
He definitely underestimated Justin’s toughness…
He learned a valuable lesson about not looking past the old dogs.... and definitely don't kick it....🤣🤣🤣
Agreed.
Nobody really lost in this fight . Justin proved a lot of people - me included - wrong . We just forgot what a Beast he was . Rafael proved what we all knew, that he is a Beast as well . The Fans got the best Fight of the Night ... All good .
I watched the highlight reels for both of them right before the fight and fiz is good but his highlights aren't nearly as impressive when compared to Justin's. Fiz should avoid the 💎 if he doesn't want another hard lesson on old dogs....
This man is gonna learn so much from this fight. He will only get better.
This guy has won my fan base period but Rapha common man stay humble and get back in there and keep up the amazing 🤩 work I'll be staying tuned for the next fight
one of the best in the lightweight nontheless. He will come back stronger Also just a fact check for Ariel: Even if that judge had given the 10-8 as a 10-9 and given the fight to Fiziev 29-28, the two other judges gave 29-28 to Gaethje without 10-8, so Gaethje would've won split decision with two judges giving to him and one judge giving it to Fiziev.
mad respect for Fiziev for being honest about losing despite Ariel trying to convince him otherwise. It was close until the second half of round 3
Thank you Ariel for finally clearing up Fiziev’s name annunciation. You can tell Rafa is those young bulls who are still scary, there’s no telling what kind of juggernaut he’s going to be when evolves to his prime, I seriously can’t wait to see whose going to take on Fiziev next if he comes back like a champ. I bet if Fiziev didn’t have a decent amount of fights in the ufc without a crowd (due to Covid) he would’ve shook a couple of more arenas.
Man, that body language says it all, devastated.
Ariel asks questions like he’s in a therapy session. 🤦🏽♂️
Yeah, his own...lol
Literally laughed out loud and became an instant fan.... "This humble pie is pretty good"
Ariel is like the ultimate casual lol
not at all
Probably only does it to get close to a real man....
I actually thought he won rounds 1 & 2. Definitely lost the third round but that puts him up 2-1. Oh well. It's okay brother! You'll come back stronger.
He lost the second round, and youre totally right, the last round was certainly not 10-8, he clearly lost it but Fiziev was winning the early part of the round. A 10-8 is just a total domination of a round which it wasnt.
@@gsp3428 He clipped him like once early in the third then got battered for 3 minutes with no response. When you compare the first and third rounds, it's clear who took the harder and more damaging shots
Damage trump's all
Scored it the same as you. 2- 1 Fiziev but you can't win against a favorite like Gaethje and thats the simple truth; fan favorite brings money. Gaethje is very lucky he got the win honsetly. And I was going for Gaethje but I hate seeing judges steal the fight from someone.
@@stuts2371 I agree Gaethje battered him way worse in the 3rd, I was just saying it wasnt a 10-8 round. It was a 10-9 round and Gaethje won rounds 2 and 3.
This kid did good. It was a fun fight but he couldn't manage to be consistent, not to mention that he had to switch stances because of Gaethje's attacks on his left side of the face. Was surprised that he didn't kick high and instead should have either invited Gaethje to him or pushing the pace higher by not allowing Gaethje to be in the center and work as a counter puncher.
What’s Ariel talking about. If that judge hadn’t done a 10-8 it still would have have been a split decision win for Gaethje
Lmao Ariel absolutely refuses to do a single interview without trying to bait his guest into ridiculing the ufc
YOU SEE ARIEL. RAFAEL IS A MAN AND U ARE A MOUSE..HE KNEW HE LOST. AND ADMIT IT.
Fiziev is future champ 👍🏼 He is really strong
Do not see him a future champ at all but is a great fighter he is to small for 155
future champ maybe at 145, no way his undersized a$$ is ever touching the 155 belt
Imagine if it was 5 rounds
Fiziev would end up like Ferguson.
@@mickeymomighty5660 nah,his pacing would've been different. Gaethje isn't that same anymore
Rafael is explosive in 3 rounds, Rafael is slow and patient in 5 rounds
Gaithje is a dawg regardless
Well he didn't complain, when the judge gifted him the victory over Bobby King 👑 green!!!!!💯
Ariel arguing that a 10-9 round would make Rafael the winner lol no it wouldn’t have. Cmon man, you should know this! Gaethje won 29-28 on the 2 judges scorecards that gave him a 10-9 for the 3rd, and a 29-28 victory. The unwarranted 10-8 scorecard was from the judge who scored it a draw at 28-28. Instead of a majority decision win, it would’ve been a split decision 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29 to Gaethje.
Thanks for the interview though
a bit of a tough loss cause he was battering Justin for the first and second rounds and even the beginning of the third. He's definitely up there man he's going to be a title challenger any time soon, much respect Fiziev
What an awesome guy and fighter! 👏🏾
Different breed over here...Justin is a killer. Not even a mark on his body, flawless victory!
This guy's answer to did you think you won the fight is the only honest and sincere answer I've ever heard from any fighter ever. Completely changed how I view him, not that I had a negative take. By the way the 10-8 round didn't affect the winner just took the decision from split to majority.
After the fight he looked defeated and battered, seemed that the decision didn't annoy him back then
you got beat! on point right after talking a lot of smack Thanks Gaethje!!
Great fight. Waiting to see Justin & Kamaru on the MMA Hour for the first time.
Not sure why Ariel keep pushing him to say he won. I really don't see where he won. He definitely won one round, but not the fight
Great credit to Raf for taking the beating and loss like a man. True warrior. If there was 2 more rounds he would've been finished.
How did Ariel say he think fiz won the fight against Justin ? 😂
good fight....it was close....make some adjustments....get better....win or learn....all will be fine...you looked pretty good overall...it was close
This is what all who fight Justin speak on, that when you're in there he has an abiity to make you fight his fight. And he's much more tricky than it looks. It was a good fight. If Justin had ever been able to be more measured...I wonder what he could have done. What he has done is amazing. But he still was winging so many strikes, completely unnesscarily. All he has to do is just set those strikes up and take 10-20% off the power. It's how he's gotten taken down and in nearly every bad position. But this is about Rafael, I think this was a big step up in attention and just a fight in general. Rafael has a lot he can and no doubt will do. He's very good and very quick....I can see him beating any of the top guys on the right night. But if he continues to evolve and can fix some of those issues he has, he could become champion. I just need to see how he does against a heavy heavy grappler at the highest level.
I am a fan now that I have seen him fight, I know the top fighters in each divisions but don't know the up and coming fighters until they fight top 5 really. But I am a fan now, plus he is humble and I like how he is taking the defeat
Ariel loses all credibility with his ability to accurately judge a fight when he says wild things like Gaelic lost that fight and Fiziev won. Crazy.
Nope he gets more credit. I was rooting for Gaethje and at the end I was surprised he got the nod. Fiziev easily won 2 to 1. It's obvious which is the only round Justin won. But since you need to know round 3 great round but not 10 to 8.
@@joseestrada8656 Just realized autocorrect smoked me and changed Gaethje to "Gaelic" 😂 Anyway, with all due respect my friend. It seems like you may not understand the judging criteria if you believe that. And you saying "10 to 8" only makes me believe that's the case even more. Would you mind explaining the reasons you scored rounds 1&2 as obvious wins for Fiziev?
It doesnt matter if Fiziev won 2 rounds. It became clear in the 3rd round Justin was the better fighter. Fiziev is lucky the fight wasnt 5 rounds.
@@liveforever9888 Yeah man, fair enough. I suppose the only thing thing that really matters is that the rightful winner got the decision. And you're right about him being lucky it wasn't scheduled for 5. Fiziev is especially dangerous early. He's almost like McGregor or Chandler where they've especially dangerous in 1 and 2 and still dangerous after but they slow down a bit. I think something like 6 of Fiziev's first 7 MMA fights were round 1 finishes. In his first 5 round fight he did finish RDA in the 5th, and has a few 2nd and 3rd round finishes, but he does slow down. Gaethje would have done bad things if that fight continued.
@@closinginonclosure Well said. I dont get some of these salty Fiziev fans, did you ever watch Vera vs Font? Damage sometimes speaks louder not stats. Anyway, it was a close fight,close fights are always a coin toss when it comes to the judges. Theres no way people should consider this a robbery. Besides, Fiziev clearly isnt ready for a title fight if he gassed out in 3 rounds, Gaethje was still fresh,the better title challenger won.
Gaethje sealed the victory in the 3rd but fiziev is definitely a contender
I thought he won the first 2 rounds. No way the 3rd was a 10-8
Glad you thought the same. Damage was from strikes to eyes and pokes,while Fiziev was landing hard shots to Jaw.
@@veerlaff5528 Yeah you can’t score a fight based on damage to a guys face. Some guys just open up or bruise easy like GSP
That damage on his face definitely says “I won” lol
Charles, Dustin, and Gaethje are just a huge step up from the division
Did Ariel just say he thought Fiziev won?
I know right? I thought it was pretty clear what happened.
We need an app that filters out EVERYTHING Ariel says just to stomach watching his "interviews"
Ariel trying hard to create controversy over the decision “but props to fiziev, he knows”
A loss to Gaethje isn’t gonna drop him much at all
Yeah will take him longer to get to the title tho.
@@Fitkid7672 most definitely
*This guy can fight look forward to seeing him perform again*
Good stuff
Fiziev definitely won the first 1 an a half rounds an was like a sniper and Gaethje won 1 an a half rounds but the difference was Gaethje landed the more damaging shots. But now hearing Ariel say fiziev won the fight and he's the one who always says damage is the no 1 criteria and if we go by what Ariel normally says Gaethje didn't have a mark on him and fiziev looked battered Gaethje clearly won an Ariel is inconsistent...
Ignore Ariel and listen to fiz... Way better
Fair play to both fighters. 2 warriors but it was a clear win for Justin. Close fight but clear win. Justin was so calm and patient while doing more damage and receiving less. I don't know how any judge had it a draw.
Such a refreshing guy. I’m now a fan. ✊
When I saw Justin at the weigh ins, standing next Fiziev, I saw Justin was quite a bit bigger, and that was the reason he won, he was bigger, had more power in his hands than Fiziev and did way more damage.
I thought he lost the fight, but I like that he didn't make excuses. Respect.
Rafael Fiziev makes an honest assesment of the fight. It was close but if you just look at the two fighters at the end of the fight it was clear who imposed the most damage and the take down at the end sealed it. I would fear for his health if there had been two more rounds. Look at what Justin did to Tony Ferguson in five rounds. He will be back and his future has some good things coming but these is no doubt who won this fight.
He will learn from this
Would love to see him vs Chandler now
Man what’s a refreshing look
That why wrestling and jiujitsu is very important in MMA..when u can't win with boxing than u can change to wrestling and jiujitsu to beat u opponent
It would have been weird for him to get the decision because of how the 3rd round went. Fiziev knows. You can't get a win when you get battered. And Ariel is wrong. The 10-9 would have made it a split decision loss. But Fiziev is so great to listen to. This guy will be in a championship fight in the next two years. And he's right, he had emptied his gas tank a lil too quickly. He was putting Justin on the back foot which I haven't seen done consistently to him since Khabib did it. But Khabib was pressuring with the grappling threat. Fiziev was doing it with striking. But the way Justin wings punches doesn't drain him. Fiziev is more technical, but also he's carrying more muscle. When he started winging punches as well it looked to drain him.
Dudes legit humble
Great fight, as a fan watching out of colorado of course I have to go for JG but love fiziev as well as I said great fight … the fans win
Ariel “you know whatamean?” Helwani 🐐🐐🐐
Nice guy good Ramadan brother
good guy he seems humble
Ariel c'mon man you dont need to sook up to fighters, you're the top MMA journalist. Even he knows he lost so don't say he won, there's no need, he would still be on the show and he would probbly respect you more for being honest
If the one judge that gave Gaethje a 10-8 gave him a 10-9 instead, Gaethje still would have won…
What a fight! It was awesome to watch
I was all for Justin to win but this lad is pure class in and out the octagon .
Gaethje did what the vets used to do to Gaethje when he was the young and hungry monster of the division. Experience and patience shined through. Fiziev should learn from this, he’s probably still the scariest prospect going forward. He looked like a monster even in defeat.
I've bragged on Raphael since observing his 1st UFC fight and thought he'd starch Justin! I'm also a huge Justin G. fan and certainly felt that last round, considering the obvious physical damage, Justin slightly pulled through
Justin took that fight in the 3rd round. That was a well earned victory for Gaethje. Respect Raphael for a great fight. That picture is beautiful. War paint.
I thought it was pretty clear that Gaethje won rounds 2 and 3. Ariel needs to rewatch the fight
def not a clear round 2
It doesnt matter if Fiziev won 2 rounds. It became clear in the 3rd round Justin was the better fighter. Fiziev is lucky the fight wasnt 5 rounds.
@@liveforever9888 hey buddy no one is arguing who is better then who we are arguing who won the fight if ur saying he won two rounds then he won the fight the last round wasn’t 10-8
Awe, I hate to see ppl disappointed 😢 Fiziev still had a great performance...just came dwn to damage 💯 but I was surprised tht Gaethje outstruck him.
What a guy! Love Fiziev even more now! And Ariel is such a nice guy too man! 🙏🏽🔥 Fiziev will be back and better, like Justin was against him. I like this new Justin tho, he was just pure violence, now it’s controlled violence, picking his shots, Justin v Dustin is gonna be epic 😎 the UFC should make it a 5 rounder 😁