Rafael Fiziev Feels Conflicted After Brad Riddell Knockout

UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev felt mixed emotions after finishing his former teammate Brad Riddell at UFC Vegas 44.

Fiziev and Riddell competed in the UFC Vegas 44 co-main event after years of training together at Tiger Muay Thai gym in Thailand. Despite their long friendship, they decided to fight each other and put on a great fight for the fans.

Despite Fiziev saying earlier in the week that he didn’t anticipate any issues fighting his friend, he had a different perspective during his UFC Vegas 44 post-fight press conference.

“It feels amazing, what can I say,” Fiziev said. “I don’t know if I’m sad or I’m happy. It’s not so great when you beat your friend like that. It was a tough fight and it was tough to see him go down like that. He’s a great guy.”

Rafael Fiziev Could Be A Dark Horse In The Lightweight Division

Many fighters are seen as gladiators only, but the fact of the matter is that these athletes are human beings with raw emotions in competition. Friends in MMA rarely agree to fight one another, due to the extra stress and uncomfortable setting that is involved with the event.

Fiziev is no exception to this. As he continues his rise through the lightweight division, his fight with Riddell will more than likely be something he remembers for a long time, for the right reasons and wrong reasons.

Fiziev’s win over Riddell was his fifth straight in the UFC and was arguably the most impressive performance of his tenure after his performance over Bobby Green earlier this year.

Fiziev could be on the fast track to a path to the lightweight title picture if he continues to string together wins. He’ll more than likely get another big name for his next octagon appearance.

What were your thoughts on Rafael Fiziev’s performance?