Fiziev, Gamrot battle to rise up the lightweight ranks

Two of the UFC’s rising lightweight stars, Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot, will battle to move closer to title contender status when they meet in the main event of a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.

Fiziev (12-2) is looking to bounce back from a majority decision loss to Justin Gaethje in March of this year – the Azerbaijani’s first loss in an MMA fight since his debut UFC match against Magomed Mustafaev in 2019.

The 30-year-old had managed a streak of six straight wins, including a KO triumph over former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, before being narrowly defeated by Gaethje.

Now Fiziev is looking to bounce back and continue his ambition of winning the lightweight championship: “I want to beat everybody; I want this belt. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m growing, that’s why I train. This is my life. Train and fight. This is what I have for me in my life.”

Gamrot (22-2, 1 NC) has won five of his last six trips to the Octagon, most recently claiming a split decision win over Jalin Turner in March.

The Polish fighter is a former champion in the lightweight and featherweight divisions of the KSW promotion, and has set his sights on gold in the UFC.

“I need winning in my life,” said Gamrot. “I am a sportsman, I love fighting, I love adrenaline, I love UFC... I am new in this company and I want to climb to the top.”

The rest of the main card features a high-class featherweight fight between Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige; a women’s strawweight match pitting Marina Rodriguez against Michelle Waterson-Gomez; Bryan Battle takes on AJ Fletcher in a welterweight showdown; and the featherweight opener sees Ricardo Ramos face Charles Jourdain.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT: FIZIEV VS. GAMROT – MAIN CARD

Main event: Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev v Mateusz Gamrot

Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell v Dan Ige

Women’s strawweight: Marina Rodriguez v Michelle Waterson-Gomez

Welterweight: Bryan Battle v AJ Fletcher

Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos v Charles Jourdain