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Rafael Fiziev claimed that he now understands the hype behind Khamzat Chimaev after sparring with him at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand.
Chimaev recently trained at the famed gym in Phuket, joining Fiziev and UFC interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan. In an interview with Andrew Whitelaw of Sportskeeda MMA, the Kyrgyzstani fighter shared some insight into what it's like to train with arguably the most highly-touted prospect in the UFC. The lightweight contender said:
"Yeah, we trained with him a little bit. I wrestled with him one time. I sparred with him one time. Yeah, [he's a] very strong guy. All MMA world talk about him now and when I trained with him I understand why all MMA world talk about him because [he's] really strong. He [has] perfect wrestling and also have a very good striking too."
Fiziev also clarified that Chimaev remained respectful of him during their sparring sessions. For that reason, 'Ataman' claimed that he admires the No.11-ranked welterweight all the more. He added:
"We both sparred with each other with respect, you know. He [does] not try to kill me and of course, I don't try to kill him too because he's a big guy and I have a fight soon. I don't need fight in training. All with respect, [he's] a very nice person too."
Check out Rafael Fiziev's comments on training with Khamzat Chimaev:
Rafael Fiziev weighs in on Bobby Green's last-minute heroics
Rafael Fiziev will take on Rafael dos Anjos in an all-important lightweight bout in the co-main event of UFC 272. Before that, 'Ataman' will be keeping an eye on divisional rivals Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green.
Makhachev was initially set to face top contender Beneil Dariush in the main event of this Saturday's UFC Fight Night 202 event. However, Green stepped in as a late-notice replacement after Dariush was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Fiziev, who fought Green at UFC 265, said he admires his one-time opponent for having the courage to step up to the challenge. He said:
"This gangster [Green], he made this [fight] for me, you know. When I see Bobby say he [will] fight with Makhachev, this is very nice. For me, I love this fight. I can't wait [for] this fight."
