Rafael Fiziev might not be back till 2025 after undergoing ACL surgery

One of the greatest entertainers in the lightweight division finds himself sidelined after suffering a freak injury last time out. Rafael Fiziev is a Muay Thai standout who always strives to put on a show for the fans, but the rising contender may not be able to compete until 2025.

‘Ataman’ stepped into the octagon against Mateusz Gamrot in a lightweight clash with serious title implications. Despite having an impressive start to the night and winning the first round on all three of the judges’ scorecards, an ACL tear forced the bout to end early. Defending five of his opponent’s six takedown attempts, Fiziev kept the fight on the feet where he shines, but an awkward turn during a body kick caused the injury which then opened up the TKO victory for ‘Gamer’.

Announcing his successful surgery on social media, the 30-year-old claims the ACL problem is something he dealt with 3 years prior and thanked fans for sticking by him during this tough time.

Just done surgery on my left acl. Same injury I had 3 years ago. I will come back even stronger. Recovery starts now. Thanks for the support🦿

— Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) October 7, 2023

While there’s no exact timeline for his return, recovering from ACL surgery often takes close to a year for an individual to return to sport. If that is the case for Fiziev, he will have to wait until late 2024 in order to train to his full potential again and further time just to get back into fighting shape. After all of this and a possible fight camp, a 2025 return seems highly likely.

Related: UFC Vegas 79 Highlights Videos: Rafael Fiziev suffers freak injury to cut main event short

This type of injury isn’t uncommon in the sport and has kept athletes out for a long time. Calvin Kattar suffered an ACL tear during his high-stakes meeting with Arnold Allen and hasn’t stepped back into the octagon since. This took place in October 2022, meaning ‘The Boston Finisher’ could be approaching his return within the next few months.

Unfortunately for Rafael Fiziev, he is now on a two-fight skid and will most probably need a couple of huge wins to get himself back into title contention upon his return. Luckily for the #7-ranked lightweight, he is still young and his prime years could well still be ahead of him when he eventually makes his comeback.