UFC lightweight prospect Rafael Fiziev is currently embroiled in controversy over unpaid house rent. His ex-gym, Phuket Top Team (PTT), has just publicly shamed him, asking him to pay the remaining rent to a previous landlord in Thailand.
The official Twitter page of his previous coaching facility claims that he hasn’t paid his rent in 3 months. They’re saying that he’s promised to pay it many times, but he keeps stalling it.
They posted the following:
“#PayYourRent Fiziev owes 3 months rent for over 3 years to Thai house owner. Has written to them saying he would pay multiple times, but never has. Doesn’t dispute owing rent just doesn’t want want to pay it. @Justin_Gaethje please collect the rent”
#PayYourRent Fiziev owes 3 months rent for over 3 years to Thai house owner.
Has written to them saying he would pay multiple times, but never has.Doesn’t dispute owing rent just doesn’t want want to pay it.@Justin_Gaethje please collect the rent 👊🏼
— Phuket Top Team (@PhuketTopTeam) January 16, 2023
No we spoke up. He replied with this. Saying actually we owe him?
We have 13 years I run this gym.
Let’s hear from fighters who say we took money from them or stole money from them.None. Even fiziev never said this until we made a comment saying he owes rent.
— Phuket Top Team (@PhuketTopTeam) January 18, 2023
They also hilariously asked his opponent for UFC 286, Justin Gaethje, to beat him up and collect the rent on their behalf.
Fiziev responded with a lengthy post about the whole situation. He says that the PTT offered him free training in exchange for him promoting them and a 10% commission from all his bouts.
““At the end of 2015 I came to Phuket, Thailand to kickstart my professional career. Upon arrival Phuket Top Team offered me free training in exchange of representing the team and 10% commission from all my fights. Since that time my every Muay Thai and MMA fight I represented PTT and my % like I should. ”
However, he said that they took more than half of the promised amount but he remained silent.
“In 2016 I competed at Muay Thai grand prix called Toyota Marathon and from promised 200K THB purse I receive only 117K from the gym”
“At the next Toyota Marathon I made it to the final and was supposed to get paid 300K THB for that, but again I got paid only 121K THB without any meaningful explanation.“
After Fiziev broke his hand and was sidelined, he got a better offer from another gym. They offered him a coaching job. Fiziev, who was out of action and his wife had just given birth, needed the money badly.
“I received the offer to work as a kickboxing coach at Tiger Muay Thai, which was great opportunity for me because with broken hand and with newborn son I couldn’t provide for my family with fighting in near future anymore.”
So he asked the PTT to counter this offer otherwise he’d leave. After this, the owner Boyd Clarke started threatening him and said that he owed him money.
“Before leaving and making decision I messaged PTT owner Boyd Clarke to tell it how it is, that if he can’t offer me something similar, I have to take this opportunity.”
“He didn’t take it well and ever since he has been threatening me, claiming I owe money to the gym, now the story changed that I owe money to some Thai house owner.”
Fiziev’s response in full attached below:
“At the end of 2015 I came to Phuket, Thailand to
kickstart my professional career. Upon arrival
Phuket Top Team offered me free training in
exchange of representing the team and 10%
commission from all my fights. Since that time
my every muay thai and mma fight I represented
PTT and my % like I should. In 2016 i competed
at muay thai grand prix called Toyota Marathon
and from promised 200K THB purse I receive
only 117K from the gym. I didn’t say anything at
that time, I kept continuing fighting and
representing the gym. In the December of 2016 |
returned to Phuket with my pregnant wife and
moved in to the 10 sq m room which was
provided to me by the gym, once again in
exchange of representing the team and paying
my 10% from each purse. At the next Toyota
Marathon I made it to the final and was
supposed to get paid 300K THB for that, but
again I got paid only 121K THB without any
meaningful explanation. I closed my eyes one
more time. In June of 2017 when my son was
born I moved out from that room. I fought mma
in road fc where I broke my hand, represented
the gym and paid my % after the win. After that
in August of 2017 I received the offer to work as
a kickboxing coach at tiger muay thai, which
was great opportunity for me because with
broken hand and with newborn son I couldn’t
provide for my family with fighting in near future”
“broken hand and with newborn son I couldn’t
provide for my family with fighting in near future
anymore. Before leaving and making decision
messaged PTT owner Boyd Clarke to tell it how
it is, that if he can’t offer me something similar I
have to take this opportunity. He didn’t take it
well and ever since he is been threatening me,
claiming I should pay more money to him. Ever
since he is been tweeting and commenting on
different social media platforms, claiming I owe
money to the gym, now the story changed that I
owe money to some Thai house owner. Multiple
times I tried to meet him to find some solution,
we even agreed to meet once but he didn’t show
up. In my opinion it’s not about money, he just
want to use this to try drag my name in the dirt
every time I fight or have fight announcement. I
don’t care if someone will believe him, this story
doesn’t bother me. I represented the gym very
well, paid my %, got paid less than what I’ve
been promised. I made 250K$ with bonuses
alone, do you think I wouldn’t pay the debt, If I
really owed that money? Anyway it will be the
last time, I’m addressing this nonsense. I don’t
have any bad blood with anyone, I won’t curse
him or mention other crazy things he said and
done. I moved on, he can continue promote this
gym this way if he wants to.”