After a close decision loss to number three ranked Justin Gaethje, Rafael Fiziev is considering a drop in weight class into the featherweight division.
Following UFC 313, Fiziev has lost three straight in the lightweight division and is setting his sights on a new division to make an impact in.
He told Ariel Helwani that “I’m starting to think about changing weight divisions because I really cut weight very easy this time and this was short notice. It was very easy. All this week my nutritionist Jason, he tried to gain my weight because my weight go low so fast. Right now, I have to think about it.”
On fight night Fiziev was only four pounds above the weight limit at 161 pounds, well below the average fight day weight for a lightweight at around 170 pounds.
Even in his short notice bout against Gaejthe he made weight pretty easily, demonstrated a larger weight cut may not be a problem.
This could be good for the UFC as a whole, with many new lightweights competing for the ranks and many fighters such as Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway joining the division, the top of the weight class is becoming saturated.
That’s not to mention three current ranked featherweights (Ortega, Holloway and Topuria) desiring to leave the decision, leaving the top of featherweight quite scarce.
Fiziev made his intentions known that he would like to compete at the top of the featherweight divsion right away.
“I want to fight with top guys, some of the top guys,” Fiziev said. “All of those guys in the top 10 are interesting. These guys are in trouble if I come here. They will be in trouble. Everybody.”
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