After a monumental event at UFC 276 in Las Vegas last weekend, the promotion heads across town to the UFC Apex on Saturday, Jul. 10.
The UFC lightweight division has been the premiere weight class for the last couple years, with talent stacked from the top of the division’s rankings through several unranked contenders. This weekend, two of the division’s best lock horns in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev. Former champion Rafael Dos Anjos has won two consecutive since returning to the division after a run for welterweight gold. He looks to make it three straight by defeating rising star Rafael Fiziev. The pair were initially slated to meet in Feb. 2022 but Fiziev was forced out of the bout due to visa issues.
In the co-main event, two prospects in the middleweight division collide as Caio Borralho meets Armen Petrosyan. Borralho picked up a technical decision triumph in his promotional debut after a dominant performance. Petrosyan was in a push-and-pull slobberknocker with Gregory Rodrigues for his freshman performance and came away with a split-decision victory.
This will prove to be a high-level mixed martial arts bout between two extremely skilled combatants.
At this point in their careers, Fiziev is undoubtedly the better and quicker striker, and he should hold a distinct advantage on the feet. Dos Anjos certainly holds a grappling advantage and should utilize his ground game if he hopes to defeat the surging Fiziev. Dos Anjos has not defeated a top-ranked lightweight since 2015 when he defeated Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone in the same year. He found success at welterweight after moving up, but he struggled against top-ranked competitors, which led to a return to lightweight. RDA will need to stop the surging Fiziev if he hopes to hold onto his top-10 lightweight ranking.
Fiziev is quickly establishing himself as one of the most entertaining and skilled lightweights in the world. A victory over Dos Anjos will put him two to three wins away from a title shot, and he certainly has a path to get there given his high-level skill. He has earned four post-fight bonuses during his five-fight winning streak and will look to enter the top 10 with a win over the former lightweight champion.
If this fight takes place primarily on the feet, Fiziev will batter RDA for several rounds before finishing him by strikes. However, if RDA is able to get this fight to the ground, and utilize his black-belt ground game, it could be the difference maker that the Brazilian needs to emerge victorious. However, fortune will favor the surging contender. Fiziev will finish RDA in the fourth round after landing consistently and often. Fiziev is truly an elite lightweight and will prove just how capable he is come Saturday.
