Rafael Fiziev reveals the UFC offered him a top 3 ranked lightweight but he was forced to turn it down due to his ACL injury
Rafael Fiziev is currently recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) suffered against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Fight Night 228 in September.
A fully-torn ACL usually takes between 9-12 months before the ligament is healed and ready for competition, meaning that he will not be fighting until at least July 2024.
'Ataman' recently revealed that he was offered a fight against No.3-ranked Dustin Poirier by the UFC but was forced to turn the bout down due to not being ready to compete.
The lightweight contender also noted that it was the second time he had torn his ACL in his left leg during a recent interview with The AllStar. He said this:
"This one made me so sad. When my manager called me and he said, 'They want you to fight against Poirier, he's ready.' You know how many times I was really, really sad in the UFC? First time, when [the UFC] sent me a contract like, 'Hey you want to fight at UFC London?' The next day I tore my knee."
He continued:
"Now it's the same, I want to fight. I'm happy to fight against Poirier, and my knee is still not ready... But I'm also happy because I see the UFC still believes in me after two losses in a row."
Catch Rafael Fiziev's comments below (6:17):
Rafael Fiziev comments on the Conor McGregor-Michael Chandler situation
Rafael Fiziev believes that Michael Chandler should move on from Conor McGregor if the Irishman continues to delay his return to the UFC.
At the beginning of 2023, 'Iron' and McGregor were announced as the respective coaches for season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter'. The show aired from May 30 - Aug. 15, afterwhich the coaches were expected to clash in the octagon.
But delays regarding McGregor's re-entry into the USADA testing pool put a halt on the much-anticipated bout, and UFC CEO Dana White has remained coy about when 'The Notorious' could return.
During Fiziev's recent interview with The AllStar, he was asked what he would do if he were in Chandler's position. 'Ataman' said this:
"McGregor is a very big player in this game. So he just does whatever he wants. If he wants to fight Chandler, that's good. But I don't think he wants to. I don't know, he's too big in this game... If I was in Chandler's position, I think I'd tell him, 'Shut the f**k up.' I'd go fight another guy." [10:30-11:22]