Rafael Fiziev: Vision was impaired when landing spinning wheel kick at UFC Baku

Rafael Fiziev delivered a spectacular knockout victory over Manuel Torres at UFC Baku on Saturday, finishing his lightweight opponent with a spinning wheel kick followed by ground-and-pound just 15 seconds into the second round at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. The striking sequence was all the more impressive given the circumstances: Fiziev revealed post-fight that he was battling impaired vision throughout the encounter, particularly after Torres landed a jab that left him seeing double. Unable to rely on his eyes, Fiziev made the split-second decision to throw the spinning back kick, a technique that doesn't require sight to execute effectively—and it paid off spectacularly. "I didn't see anything," Fiziev explained. "Everything was double. I think, OK, I'm just throwing spinning back kick because I don't need the eye to see that." The victory marks a crucial turnaround for Fiziev, who had lost four of his last five UFC bouts and was coming off a second-round TKO loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325 in January. The performance earned him visible relief and renewed confidence. "After this loss in Australia, to come back like that, I feel good, I feel great," Fiziev said, adding that the knockout bonus was his third bonus across those five losses. Looking forward, Fiziev has set his sights on the BMF title currently held by Charles Oliveira, citing an unfinished storyline after he was forced to withdraw from a scheduled matchup in Rio last October due to injury. Whether the UFC grants that wish or another opponent presents itself, Fiziev has demonstrated he remains a formidable force in the lightweight division.