Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ABC 8 | Preview & Prediction
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We have an outstanding lightweight bout as the co-main event at UFC on ABC 8 as Rafael Fiziev faces off against the surging Ignacio Bahamondes
Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes Facts
What time are Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes expected to walk out?
Where is UFC on ABC 8? Baku Crystal Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ABC 8? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC on ABC 8
What TV channel is UFC on ABC 8 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ABC (main card) & ESPN preliminary card
Where can I stream UFC on ABC 8? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC on ABC 8 main card
Jamahal Hill vs Khalil Rountree Jr. (Light Heavyweight)
Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes (Lightweight)
Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev (Heavyweight)
Tofiq Musayev vs Myktybek Orolbai (Lightweight)
Nazim Sadykhov vs Nikolas Motta (Lightweight)
Muhammad Naimov vs Bogdan Grad (Featherweight)
UFC on ABC 8 prelims
Ko Seok-hyun vs Oban Elliott (Welterweight)
Ismail Naurdiev vs Park Jun-yong (Middleweight)
Melissa Mullins vs Daria Zheleznyakova (Women’s Bantamweight)
Irina Alekseeva vs Klaudia Syguła (Women’s Bantamweight)
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Azat Maksum (Flyweight)
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs Mohammed Usman (Heavyweight)
Rafael Fiziev vs Ignacio Bahamondes prediction
Rafael Fiziev (12-4) has been fighting at the top end of the lightweight division for some time now and has gone under the radar to a degree. He sits number 11 in the rankings which is understandable given the fact he has lost his last three bouts but he has been as entertaining as anybody in the division.
While he may not get the plaudits like Justin Gaethje, seven of his last eight fights have seen him win Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night awards.
After losing twice to Gaethje and once to Mateusz Gamrot, he will be desperate to get back to winning ways here to stay relevant in the division. He has been paired off against a surging up-and-coming star in Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5).
The Argentine as won his last three fights and picked up Performance of the Night awards in all three of those fights.
This is however a marked step up in quality for him and while a win will surely see him break into the top 15 of the rankings, he is going to have to prove he can compete at this level.
This feels a little like the Usman Kamaru vs Joaquin Buckley fight last week. A veteran who has been at the top for some time being desperate to snap a three-fight losing streak against an up-and-coming talent with momentum.
We can see this playing out the same way. Fiziev knows he has to get a win and we expect to see that level of desperation in his approach even if there may be an element of caution in his style. We think he grinds out a win somehow here.
Prediction: Rafael Fiziev to win
