Dynamic Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight strikers Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy dueled TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026) inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, on UFC 325’s Paramount+-streamed main card.
The past three years have been shaky for Fiziev. The Muay Thai ace dropped a pair of competitive fights with Justin Gaethje, then suffered a gnarly knee injury during his UFC Vegas 79 main event versus Mateusz Gamrot. The trio of losses cost “Ataman” all his momentum. He recently rebounded at the expense of Ignacio Bahamondes, but could 32-year-old Fiziev still contend?
And it’s closer to the top after the former Fighting Nerd delivered a blistering second round knockout.
Ruffy took his sideways karate-type stance and Fiziev immediately started firing low kicks. Fiziev chased Ruffy early, cutting off the cage and clipping the Brazilian with a nice shot. He then used a lunging double hook counter to barrel his way in, then continued to drill Ruffy’s lower half with hard kicks. Nice body kick from Fiziev stung Ruffy, who was constantly on the retreat early, looking to find space to be more proactive. Nice jab from Ruffy, then a nice overhand right … a nice mix of punches. Moments later, he uncorked a head kick that glance off Fiziev’s dome. Huge body kick from Fiziev along the cage, which Ruffy countered with hard knees down the middle. Hard elbow from Ruffy was blocked by Fiziev, who got stung once more by a hard jab as the round came to a close. It was Fiziev early, Ruffy late — very close round to score.
Both fighters touched gloves again to start the second stanza, with Fiziev immediately going to work on Ruffy’s body. Ruffy responded with a spinning back kick, as Fiziev once again began to chase him around the Octagon to slow him down. Fiziev kept up the pressure, but his offensive output left much to be desired. Ruffy used the time to slam his jab straight down the middle, as Fiziev struggled to put together consistent combinations. Nice body kick from Fiziev late as Ruffy countered with stiff jab. Then, out of nowhere, Ruffy drilled him with a missile that send Fiziev flying across the canvas. It was a massive shot … and Fiziev was hurt bad. He tried to get back to his feet, then he tried to grapple, but it was clear he was hurt bad. Ruffy was able to get him pinned in the corner of the cage and then unleashed a brutal barrage of ground-and-pound until the referee called a stop to the assault.
It was a big win for Ruffy, who was able to storm back after enduring some early adversity. The change of scenery, leaving The Fighting Nerds to train alongside Alexander Volkanovski and Co., was a very wise career choice.
Final result: Ruffy def. Fiziev via technical knockout in round two
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