Rafael Fiziev’s knee continues to give him problems.
The latest setback for the lightweight contender saw him forced to withdraw from a scheduled main event bout opposite former champion Charles Oliveira, which was to take place at UFC Rio on Oct. 11. Mateusz Gamrot has since stepped in to replace Fiziev.
Fiziev posted an update on the injury to his Instagram Stories, which you can watch below (h/t Red Corner MMA).
“Many people asking what happened with me, why I’m out from the fight,” Fiziev said. “I injured my knee again. Alhamdulillah, no need to do surgery, but I cannot push 100 percent. I cannot work. Cannot wrestle, cannot spar. I have to heal up right now. A couple of months, I come back to the fight. I wish to fight in Brazil, this is my dream fight, but I already have a couple of surgeries in my knee and it’s a big risk to go in with my injured knee right now to fight.
“It’s a big risk to have a third injury on the same knee. That’s not good. I have to heal up, guys.”
Fiziev, 32, first injured his left knee in a fight with Gamrot in September 2023. Their UFC Vegas 79 headlining bout ended abruptly in the second round when Fiziev fell clutching his knee. It was later revealed he had torn his ACL. The injury kept Fiziev on the sidelines for 18 months until his return at UFC 313, where he lost a unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje.
It looked like Fiziev’s luck was turning around as he defeated Ignacio Bahamondes this past June to snap a three-fight losing streak, but now it’s back to the drawing board as he again focuses on resting and rehabbing his knee.
