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#2. Brad Riddell vs. Rafael Fiziev - UFC lightweight
This co-headliner might be lacking a little in terms of name value, but the truth is, it should be a fantastic bout between two of the UFC lightweight division’s quickest-rising stars.
Brad Riddell debuted back in 2019 as a bit of an unknown quantity, but since his first fight he’s quickly established himself as a highly dangerous striker. ‘Quake’ fights out of the same camp as Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya. It’s easy to see a similar style to the former when watching him in action. Riddell has excellent footwork and movement and strings combinations together in a beautiful way.
Thus far there’d probably be two knocks on him. Firstly, he’s not the best finisher, with all four of his UFC victories going the distance. Secondly, based particularly on his most recent win over Drew Dober, he’s a little too happy to take a shot in order to give one, which is always risky.
Rafael Fiziev, meanwhile, is flashier than Riddell and is probably equally dangerous. The native of Kyrgyzstan is an excellent Thai-style kickboxer and while he fell to Magomed Mustafaev in his UFC debut in spectacular fashion, he’s been outstanding since.
Right now, ‘Ataman’ is on a four-fight win streak, with the most impressive victory coming over Renato Moicano via knockout in 2020.
Essentially, the likelihood of either of these men taking the fight to the ground seems low, meaning we should be treated to a wild striking battle that could contend for the Fight of the Night bonus.
Which man will win? It should probably come down to whether Riddell can avoid eating anything really explosive from Fiziev. If he can do that, then his stronger fundamentals and punching power should be enough to carry him through, although it’s doubtful he’ll pick up a finish.
Fiziev is definitely capable of stopping Riddell in a rush, as he’s shown incredible finishing skills before, but ‘Quake’ has also never been knocked out in 11 MMA fights, as well as an apparent 69 kickboxing bouts.
Considering Riddell’s chin, then, as well as his excellent training camp and good run, the pick is ‘Quake’ via decision.
The Pick: Riddell via unanimous decision
