Fresh off a spinning heel kick knockout victory in the main event in his home country of Azerbaijan, lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev shared his thoughts for the UFC’s new AI-generated rankings system.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Fiziev reacted with a mixture of amusement and frustration upon learning he does not appear in the UFC’s new meta rankings, which are generated by artificial intelligence, despite being listed in the traditional media rankings.
“I can agree with that and I can disagree with that,” Fiziev said. “I agree because last my five matches I have one win, and disagree because this is AI. This is like stupid bulls**t, it’s just a computer, man.”
Following his spectacular main event knockout of Manuel Torres, Rafael Fiziev didn’t hold back when asked about the UFC’s new Meta-powered rankings, which had left him outside the lightweight top 15 entering the match.
“The new rankings system is elephant s**t,” Fiziev said during the UFC Baku post-bout press conference.
During his conversation with Helwani, Fiziev also talked about the rough stretch he had been navigating, a run that included four losses across five matches. The knockout win on Saturday, his first finish since 2022, was a release of pressure he had been carrying for some time.
“Before this match all of this week I was thinking like, man, what the f**k, you long time you not finish anybody man, come on, you have to try, you have to leave your soul there in the octagon and finish somebody. Because that’s how I say ‘elephant s**t’ bro,” he said.
The finish itself came under extraordinary circumstances. Fiziev revealed that a jab from his opponent had blurred his vision heading into the second round, leaving him unable to see clearly when he threw the fight-ending kick.
“I didn’t see anything. Everything quadruple. I tried to shake his hand at the end of the round but I didn’t see his hand and I missed,” he said. “When I make my decision to make spinning back kick, I just do it because I didn’t see anything. I just know where my opponent is staying. I don’t need good vision for that spinning back kick.”
Adding to the emotional weight of the night was his father, who was present in his corner for only the third time in his career. Fiziev spoke candidly about their relationship and what it meant to go into battle with his father behind him.
“When you’re going with your father to the battle, that’s different. Feeling father’s hand on your shoulder saying, ‘Hey, you’re ready, don’t worry, you’re going to smash him.’ This is something.”
