Getty Images UFC President Dana White.
Brad Riddell got beat up during his scrap against Rafael Fiziev at UFC Vegas 44, ultimately going down via knockout in the third round by a spinning wheel kick.
Riddell was unrecognizable after the damage he took in the fight, which include a massive cut above his eye that required a significant amount of stitches to put back together. Despite not being at the fight due to his COVID-19 diagnosis, UFC president Dana White received some photos of Riddell’s injury and shared them on social media. Warning, if you’re squeamish scroll past the picture.
White posted a stitched-up photo after, showing that Riddell got it taken care of, but expect a mighty scar for the lightweight.
InstagramBrad Riddell after UFC Vegas 44.
Riddell gave his own update via Instagram on Sunday, writing: “I’m OK. Congratulations to Rafael Fiziev. Beautiful fight my bro. I had fun with you in there. Thank you for your support everyone.”
Rafael Fiziev Bummed Out After Knocking Out Riddell
Make no mistake, Fiziev was more than happy to move to 11-1 as a pro with his seventh knockout. However, Riddell is a friend of Fiziev, which made him conflicted about knocking him out.
“I feel uncomfortable when I started,” Fiziev told reporters after Saturday’s event. “Not too much. I understand this is a real fight. Maybe he would knock me out, but it’s still a little bit uncomfortable.
“What I can say? I just don’t know if I’m sad or I’m happy because it’s not so good when you (defeat) your friend like that, you know? It’s just this. Of course, I’m happy inside. I don’t know. … It was a beautiful KO or TKO. It was beautiful, but I still didn’t want the fight (yet). I still didn’t like many moments in the fight. I still need [growth]. I still need work.”
Fiziev earned a cool $50,000 for a performance of the night bonus. He did admit he doesn’t chase knockouts but he tends to find them, which helped his bank account on Saturday.
“I never find knockout in my fights,” Fiziev said. “I never try to make a knockout. I never believe in this before a fight. I waited for his damage and I (took) it. I go to my kitchen today and I’ll try to cook something.”
Fiziev Calls Out Vince Vaughn After Fight
Getty ImagesRafael Fiziev celebrates after being declared the winner.
Fiziev is gaining a reputation for funny callouts following his wins. At UFC 265 he called out viral sensation Hasbulla. This time, he took on someone more his size in Vince Vaughn, who was sitting ringside for the fight.
“Give me three months, and I’m ready to fight again,” Fiziev said in the octagon. “We have one legend here, maybe he wants to fight with me. Yeah, his name Vince Vaughn. Yeah, I love him.”
At 6-foot-5, Vaughn would make quite the opponent for Fiziev, who will likely approach the top 10 after defeating Riddell, who was No. 12 in the UFC lightweight rankings prior to the fight.
The next big event for the UFC is next weekend, with Charles Oliveira taking on Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 with the lightweight belt on the line.