The lightweight clash between kickboxing genius Rafael Fiziev and the former wrestling champion of Europe, Mateusz Gamrot, is headlining the UFC Fight Night 228, which is taking place at UFC Apex on Saturday, September 23
Rafael Fiziev is a Muay Thai expert who lands 5.06 significant strikes per minute and who’s got a 66.66% knockout-to-win ratio. He’s locking horns with Mateusz Gamrot, one of the best wrestlers in the lightweight division who lands 4.54 takedowns and has a TD defense of 90%.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot Odds
Moneyline Odds
Rafael Fiziev -163
Mateusz Gamrot +133
*Odds taken from Sports Odds Direct on Thursday, September 21.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN+
Rafael Fiziev is a fighter that’s incredibly fun to watch. He lands a lot of strikes and is not afraid to get hit. This explains why he won either the Performance of the Night bonus or Fight of the Night bonus in each of his last six fights.
He’s 12-2 overall, with his only losses happening in the UFC. First, he lost to Magomed Mustafaev by TKO on his debut. His second fight was a majority loss to Justin Gaethje last March. In both of those fights, he got hit hard by his opponents, which seems to be the only way to beat him.
Both Mustafaev and Gaethje are famous for their power, so no one can be too surprised that they managed to beat Fiziev. The big question is whether Gamrot is powerful enough to beat him too.
Mateusz Gamrot has never lost a fight inside the distance. He’s 22-2-1 with both of his losses happening by decision. What’s interesting is that both of those defeats happened in the UFC. Before that, he spent several years fighting under the banner of KSW, a prime Polish MMA promotion. That’s where he was a two-division champion – lightweight and featherweight.
Since moving to the UFC, he’s 5-2, with two Performance of the Night bonuses and as many Fight of the Night bonuses. What’s interesting is that since coming to Dana White’s promotion, he’s won only one fight by submission. That’s kind of surprising as this guy is a former submission wrestling champion of Europe, as well as someone who averages more than four takedowns per fight.
