Mateusz Gamrot will leave UFC Vegas 79 with a win but not the way he wanted after Rafael Fiziev suffered a gruesome leg injury in the second round.
What started out as an intense battle between two elite lightweights ended when Fiziev threw a blistering kick with his right leg that Gamrot blocked. Before he could even put his foot back down again, Fiziev winced in pain as he crumbled to the canvas with Gamrot following him there to deliver some punches with referee Herb Dean rushing in to stop the fight.
Replays showed Fiziev’s left leg shifting or popping he planted to throw the kick, which led to the injury that brought his night to a dissapointing end. The official stoppage came at 2:03 in the second round.
“Of course, this was not what I would like,” Gamrot said afterwards. “To be honest, when I prepared for this fight, my goal was that my defense would be stronger than his kick. I prepared very good defense in my gym.
“I wish a quick recovery for Rafael. A win is a win. I win tonight. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Prior to the injury, Gamrot and Fiziev were putting on a show as they each had their moments in the opening round while trading shots on the feet as well as scrambles in the grappling exchanges. A high pace was set immediately with Fiziev firing off quick, powerful punches and kicks from the outside, although Gamrot did manage to tag him with a couple of stiff punches on the feet.
It wasn’t until the second round that Gamrot finally got deep on a takedown, although Fiziev was quick to scramble free and get back to his feet. That’s when Fiziev set up for the kick that ultimately ended his night.
As soon as his leg fell out from under him, Fiziev was down on the ground in obvious pain as the ringside physician rushed into help. The doctor examined his leg before Fiziev was eventually helped out of the octagon by his coaches as he limped backstage for additional medical assistance.
It was an unfortunate ending to a highly anticipated showdown at lightweight but Gamrot will move forward with the win and he’s setting his sights towards the top of the division.
“This is not what I want winning this fight,” Gamrot said. “I’m looking forward to next year to fight. My dream fight, of course, is the champion Islam Makhachev but this is not now. But my next fight I would like to challenge myself to the most dangerous fighter on the ground, Charles Oliveira. I would like to fight this guy.”
