Table of Contents
Rafael Fiziev is a professional mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC lightweight division. Known by his nickname “Ataman,” Fiziev is recognized for his powerful Muay Thai-based striking and exciting fighting style.
Fiziev has earned several UFC performance bonuses during his career and has competed against some of the top lightweight fighters in the division. He has fought Justin Gaethje twice, Rafael dos Anjos, Brad Riddell, Mateusz Gamrot, and other notable UFC fighters.
After experiencing a difficult period with several losses between 2023 and early 2026, Fiziev returned to winning form in June 2026. He defeated Manuel Torres by second-round knockout at UFC Fight Night in Baku, Azerbaijan. UFC currently lists Fiziev as an active lightweight with a professional record of 14 wins and 5 losses.
Now, let’s know more about Rafael Fiziev’s early life, his overall fighting career, age, relationship status, net worth, and active social media accounts.
Rafael Fiziev Early Life
Rafael Fiziev was born on March 5, 1993, in Korday, Kazakhstan. He later built his fighting career in Thailand and became closely associated with Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket.
Fiziev grew up with Russian and Azerbaijani family roots. As a child, he initially did not enjoy boxing after his father gave him and his cousin boxing gloves. However, his attitude toward fighting changed when he became interested in Muay Thai as a teenager.
He later developed his skills in Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and other combat sports. His background in different fighting disciplines helped him develop the striking-heavy style that became one of his biggest strengths in MMA.
Before becoming a full-time professional fighter, Fiziev also graduated from the Kyrgyzstan Police Academy and earned a degree in law. He worked as a police officer for a short period before focusing completely on his fighting career.
Rafael Fiziev Age
Rafael Fiziev was born on March 5, 1993. He is 33 years old.
You May Also Like: Diego Hypólito
Rafael Fiziev Career
Fiziev started his career in the Thai Muay fighting tournament. He first competed in 2010 against Sergey Kulyaba and wins the match by decision. Later on, he competed in Bangla Stadium in Patong Thailand, and manages to win the match by left hook KO.
He fights under the Muay Thai for several years and wins several battles and also lost a few. His last fight for the professional Myau Thai was in 2017 in Phoneix FC 3 event held in London England on where he losses the fight against Leyton Collmore by unanimous decision.
After battling in the Thai Muay Fiziev first debuted in Lightweight MMA fighting in July 2015 in the W.I.N FC event held in Shenzen China. He wins the match against Sam Bastin by flying knee KO. A year later, he again competed in Boroda FC in 2016 and manage to win the match against Gunduz Nabiev by rear-naked choke submission.
Besides, Fiziev fought the MMA fighting for several years till 2018. After that, he first debuted in the UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Oleinik against Magomed Mustafaev and lost the match by spinning back kick and punches TKO.
From his first loss in UC, he never looks back and again participates in October 2019 UFC Fight Night Maia vs Askren held in Kallang Singapore. At that time he wins the match against Alex White by unanimous decision.
Following that, he again competed in 2020 UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs Benavidez 2 and secure his 1st place fighting against Marc Diakiese and was named as the fight of the night. Later in December, Fiziev once again wins the UFC match by defeating Renato Moicano by KO punches and named as the performance of the night.
Fiziev recent fight was on 1 August 2021 in the UFC 265 on where he won the match by defeating Bobby Green by unanimous decision. Besides, Fiziev said he is coming back to UFC 155 on his Twitter account on August 29, 2021, which can be his next fight.
After defeating Bobby Green in August 2021, Fiziev continued his rise in the UFC lightweight division. In December 2021, he defeated Brad Riddell by third-round knockout, extending his winning streak and earning another impressive UFC victory.
In July 2022, Fiziev faced former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and delivered one of the biggest victories of his career. He stopped dos Anjos with a fifth-round knockout and established himself as one of the leading contenders in the division.
Fiziev then faced Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 in March 2023. After five competitive rounds, Gaethje won by majority decision. Later that year, Fiziev faced Mateusz Gamrot, but the fight ended in the second round after Fiziev suffered a knee injury.
Fiziev returned to the Octagon in March 2025 for a rematch with Justin Gaethje at UFC 313. Gaethje again won the fight by unanimous decision. Fiziev bounced back in June 2025 when he defeated Ignacio Bahamondes by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in Baku.
In January 2026, Fiziev faced Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 but was stopped by strikes in the second round. Despite the setback, he quickly returned to competition and faced Manuel Torres in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Baku on June 27, 2026.
Fiziev produced one of his best recent performances against Torres, knocking him out just 15 seconds into the second round. The victory allowed Fiziev to return to the win column in front of his home-country fans and strengthened his position in the UFC lightweight division.
Rafael Fiziev Recent Update 2026
Rafael Fiziev remains an active UFC lightweight in 2026. His biggest recent result came on June 27, 2026, when he faced Manuel Torres in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Fiziev defeated Torres by knockout at 15 seconds of the second round. The victory was especially important because he had lost four of his previous five fights before entering the matchup with Torres. UFC described the victory as a return to winning form for the Azerbaijani contender.
Following the victory, UFC’s current fighter profile lists Fiziev with a professional record of 14 wins and 5 losses and identifies him as an active lightweight fighter. He is currently ranked No. 12 in the UFC lightweight division.
Rafael Fiziev Relationship
Rafael Fiziev keeps much of his personal life away from the public spotlight. There is limited reliable public information about his current relationship status or a confirmed partner.
Because his private life is not widely documented, it is better not to assume that he is single based only on the lack of public information. Fiziev has mainly remained in the public eye because of his professional MMA career.
Rafael Fiziev Net Worth
Rafael Fiziev’s exact net worth has not been officially disclosed. As a professional UFC fighter, his income can come from fight purses, performance bonuses, sponsorships, endorsements, and other professional opportunities.
Online estimates of Fiziev’s net worth vary, so any specific figure should be treated as an estimate rather than a confirmed amount. His financial position may also change as his UFC career continues.
You May Also Like: Ashima Shiraishi
Rafael Fiziev Social Media
Rafael Fiziev maintains an active presence on social media, where he shares updates about his UFC fights, training, travel, and personal activities. His social-media following has grown considerably since the original version of this biography was published.
For full biography about your favorite MMA fighter, please check out Sportscovering.
