UFC Vegas 58 results and highlights: Rafael Fiziev TKO Rafael dos Anjos in the final

Rafael Fiziev scored the biggest win of his career at the main event of UFC Vegas 58. With only seconds to go in the fifth and final round, Fiziev injured and knocked out former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos to extend his winning streak to six. . Fiziev’s vaunted strength and exemplary takedown defense were on display, and while dos Anjos put in an excellent effort and seemed to be gaining some steam going into the final round, the heavier-handed Fiziev landed the most telling punch of the contest to definitively announce himself as a contender in the final. division 155 lbs.

The scorecard at the time put Fiziev ahead 39-37 x2 and 38-38, so the RDA needed a finish and ended up finishing instead.

This was the third time the RDA had been eliminated, and for Fiziev he continued his journey to the title with a real win over the #7 challenger. Undoubtedly it is one of the highest grades of a pretty hectic card.

Main Event Recap

Fiziev wasted no time swapping kicks with dos Anjos. The feel-out process is not executed at all. The RDA pushed for the contest’s first takedown but Fiziev turned it down. Fiziev broke the RDA clinch and then released his right arm and knee that flew off. The two men appeared to be working on the body but Fiziev was working on a higher volume. The RDA continued to chase the clinch and aim for the takedown but to no avail. A hook left and right hand tripped the former champion to end the opening round.

Dos Anjos was again looking for a takedown in the second round and while he didn’t get one, he was able to briefly reclaim Fiziev’s position. Fiziev tried to get out of the place and they returned to the center of the cage. Dos Anjos did well to work Fiziev’s body and jab, but Fiziev had the answer with his own hook and uppercut and kick. A well-timed entry by RDA but Fiziev used a whizzer kick to prevent himself from being put on his back.

There was a stronger determination than the RDA to finally take down Fiziev and he did, but only for a few seconds and he did nothing with it. It was a clinch-heavy and wrestling third round that didn’t leave Fiziev with too many chances to attack, but he still brought the Brazilian to his knees. RDA retaliated with a strong left-handed smack against the switch bat.

For the first time in his entire MMA career, Rafael Fiziev made it to the fourth round. RDA caught Fiziev with a flying knee and left hand forcing Fiziev into a tie-up. In the final 85 seconds, Fiziev changed levels quickly and took Fiziev out for a quality takedown and this time some control over was extended. As the round drew to a close, RDA slashed Fiziev with his elbow, causing a cut near his right eyebrow.

The fifth round didn’t last long, and if there was a question about Rafael Fiziev’s strength being carried away at the end of the fight then he answered it emphatically. A jab and a large left hand from a left-hander froze and dropped Anjos’ dos in dramatic fashion. A few more punches on the ground resulted in the conclusion of the fight.

Main Card Recap

The co-main event was forgotten. Caio Borralho’s takedown and grappling effortlessly saw him win the first two rounds over kickboxer Armen Petrosyan, and despite a late strike from Petrosyan after hitting a few shots and connecting some decent strikes, it didn’t go far enough. One of Petrosyan’s potential glimmers of hope in the second round came when he was fully set up by Borralho, only to reverse the position and go up and apart. A takedown by Borralho occurred shortly after, and it was very clear that Caio just needed not to do anything stupid to get the win. Spoiler alert: He won.

As you might expect, the bantamweight prospects Said Nurmagomedov and Douglas Silva de Andrade make for a very entertaining fight. Nurmagomedov dazzled with his striking yet devastating shot throughout the game, but Silva de Andrade was always eager to bring down and show off his creativity. The Brazilian caught Said with a spinning backhand towards the end of the second round and stunned him with a head kick earlier, only to be met by Nurmagomedov’s flying knee. In the finals, Nurmagomedov scored a takedown but couldn’t hold off Douglas, so he naturally threw a head kick on the way up. Silva de Andrade had also had a takedown before that and had some time on top after Nurmagomedov’s turning shot missed. Nurmagomedov’s more destructive shooting and more consistent offense overall paved the way for him to improve to 5-1 in the UFC, but Silva de Andrade really got him working for it.

In the heavyweight division, Chase Sherman will most likely keep his UFC career and will most likely end Jared Vanderaa’s career with a third round TKO. Vanderaa curiously opted to kickbox with Sherman, who had the advantage in speed and technique and displayed a fine chin as Vanderaa approached him with a jab and power in the second and third rounds. Sherman finally landed a tougher punch and in the final round he swung Vanderaa with his right hand into the jaw in close range. ‘The Vanilla Gorilla’ followed up with at least 15 big shots to the head and Vanderaa finally sank to the canvas for a TKO stoppage. It was Sherman’s first UFC win since his 2020 comeback against Ike Villanueva, and for Vanderaa he has lost four in a row.

Aiemann Zahabi picked up his second win in a row with a strange and fluid decision over TUF 29 winner Ricky Turcios. Zahabi made a landing strike (not a ton, mind you) while Turcios… made loud, kiya war cries with his feints and footsteps. Turcios barely connects on any of his attacks — the connection rate is under 20% — which makes for a very boring 15-minute watch.

The main card opener is a thriller between lightweight Michael Johnson and Jamie Mullarkey. In the opening round of back and forth, Johnson brought down Mullarkey with a left counter-attack that got the Australian in serious trouble. As the round drew to a close, Mullarkey swung Johnson with his own left hand. It made for a dominant second round for Mullarkey, who repeatedly injured Johnson with strikes from distance and in a clinch, throwing punches, elbows, kicks, whatever to get a KO that wouldn’t materialize. Mullarkey’s onslaught seemed to tire him out, as Johnson was the fresher fighter in the finals and used his jab to set up a powerful punch behind them and clearly take the third. Unfortunately for Johnson, the two judges gave Mullarkey the first and hence the fight.

Main Card Results

Rafael Fiziev def. Rafael dos Anjos by TKO (hit) at :18 Round 5

Caio Borralho def. Armen Petrosyan unanimously (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Nurmagomedov said def. Douglas Silva de Andrade unanimously (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Chase Sherman def. Jared Vanderaa by TKO (attack) at 3:10 Round 3

Aiemann Zahabi def. Ricky Turcios unanimously (29-28 x3)

Jamie Mullarkey def. Michael Johnson by separate decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Scratch Card Results

Cody Brundage def. Tresean Gore by KO (blow) at 3:50 Round 1

Antonina Shevchenko def. Cortney Casey by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

David Onama def. Garrett Armfield by technical submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:13 Round 2

Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Karl Roberson by TKO (elbow) at 2:19 Round 3

Saidyokub Kakhramonov def. Ronnie Lawrence unanimously (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

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