Rafael Fiziev: The picture completely blurred, and I threw a strike blindly

Azerbaijani UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev commented on his spectacular victory over Mexican Manuel Torres in the main event of UFC Fight Night Baku. The fighter admitted that he finished the bout with a spectacular knockout essentially while blind due to a serious eye injury.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Oxu.Az, at the end of the first round Fiziev faced a foul from his opponent - Torres poked him in the eye with his finger. According to the Azerbaijani fighter, after this incident his vision became completely blurred. Finding himself in a critical situation, Rafael decided to take a risk and throw his signature spinning strike, which ultimately proved decisive.

The fighter also noted the Mexican's high pressure and emphasized the key role of his corner. Tips from coach Alim Nabiyev, who timely corrected his hand positioning and defense, helped Fiziev turn the tide of the tough contest. Speaking about his future ambitions, the fighter reminded that in the lightweight division he has already fought for the title twice against reigning champions and is ready for new major challenges.

The victory on home turf proved extremely emotional for the fighter's family. Fiziev revealed that his usually reserved father was incredibly anxious during the preparation and throughout the tournament itself, smoking three packs of cigarettes a day due to the nervous tension.

It should be noted that earlier our representative Tair Abdullayev defeated his opponent from Brazil, Jeferson Nascimento, in the third round of the fight.

Another of our representatives, Farman Hasanov, defeated Erik Nolan from the USA by unanimous decision of the judges.

The third representative of Azerbaijan, Nazim Sadikhov, lost by knockout in the first round to his Brazilian opponent Mateus Camilo.