Rafael Fiziev says he’s ready to break into the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and he’s identified the ideal next opponent to help him make a splash at 155 pounds.
After picking up his biggest win to date over Renato Moicano this past weekend at UFC 256, Fiziev wants a crack at former lightweight title challenger Al Iaquinta.
Fiziev (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who earned the “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round finish of Moicano, took to Twitter to call Iaquinta out.
“What’s up @ALIAQUINTA? How about me vs you and @funkmasterMMA vs my brother @PetrYanUFC on the same card? @tigermuaythai VS Long Island “
What’s up @ALIAQUINTA ? How about me vs you and @funkmasterMMA vs my brother @PetrYanUFC on the same card? @tigermuaythai VS Long Island
— Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) December 13, 2020
Iaquinta (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) praised the Tiger Muay Thai prospect for his win, but kindly turned down his request.
“Great fight tonight but probably not going to happen unfortunately.”
Great fight tonight but probably not going to happen unfortunately
— Al Iaquinta
(@ALIAQUINTA) December 13, 2020
After receiving some criticism on Twitter for not accepting the fight, Iaquinta went onto clarify that he’s currently rehabbing after undergoing two surgeries.
physical therepy smart ass
— Al Iaquinta
Two surgery’s
— Al Iaquinta
Iaquinta, who has lost three of his past four, hasn’t competed since October 2019, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 243.