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This past weekend at UFC 256, Rafael Fiziev made a huge statement in the UFC's lightweight division with his win over Renato Moicano. Having secured a Performance of the Night bonus with his win, Fiziev now seems interested in getting himself into the mix in the stacked 155-pound division.
In the aftermath of his career's biggest win so far, Rafael Fiziev took to Twitter and called out Al Iaquinta. Fiziev is willing to share the Octagon with the former lightweight title contender and is ready to do it on the same card with Petr Yan.
Al Iaquinta rejected Fiziev's callout as he is recovering after undergoing two surgeries
After his first-round win over Renato Moicano at UFC 256, Rafael Fiziev has now set his sights on a higher-ranked opponent in the lightweight division in Al Iaquinta.
With a record of 3-1 in the UFC, Fiziev looked absolutely dominant in his victory at the UFC APEX. However, as things stand, a fight against Raging Al seems unlikely.
In response to Fiziev's callout, Iaquinta congratulated the former for his impressive win. But Iaquinta also made it clear that a fight between the two is probably not happening. The former lightweight title challenger then revealed that he will have to reject the callout for the time being because he is recovering after undergoing two surgeries.
Here is the callout from Rafael Fiziev and the exchange with Al Iaquinta:
Al Iaquinta was last seen in action in October of 2019 when he lost to Dan Hooker via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 243. Raging Al has lost three of his last four fights. However, he is considered a real threat by many in the UFC's stacked lightweight division.
As for Rafael Fiziev, the up-and-coming 155-pound sensation could soon find himself climbing up the rankings, especially if he intends to stay active in 2021. The UFC's 155-lb division is currently filled with top names such as Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and more.
