In the main event of UFC Vegas 58, a pivotal lightweight bout headlined the card as Rafael Fiziev took on Rafael dos Anjos.
Fiziev entered his first UFC main event coming off a KO win over Brad Riddell in December after scoring a decision win over Bobby Green. dos Anjos, meanwhile, beat Renato Moicano by decision in March over five rounds in a one-sided fight.
In the end, it was Fiziev picking up the biggest win of his career as he scored a fifth-round KO win over dos Anjos. Now, after UFC Vegas 58 here is what I think should be next for both men.
Rafael Fiziev
Rafael Fiziev lost his UFC debut as he was knocked out by Magomed Mustafaev and since then he has rallied off six-straight wins. He entered this fight as the betting favorite but the big question was about his cardio as he appeared to fade in the third round against Green.
However, in the fight against dos Anjos, he silenced all those doubters as he got the fifth-round stoppage. It was the biggest win of his career and after the victory, and after the win, he called out Justin Gaethje which makes a ton of sense. ‘The Highlight’ doesn’t have his next fight booked and the winner of Fiziev-Gaethje could get a title shot while it would be a fun fight for the fans to see.
Rafael dos Anjos
Rafael dos Anjos wanted to make another lightweight title run and he was having success doing so. The Brazilian beat Paul Felder and Renato Moicano by decision but in the main event of UFC Vegas 58, he suffered a fifth-round KO loss to Rafael Fiziev.
After the loss, dos Anjos admitted he didn’t know where he would go from here. Although he lost on Saturday, ‘RDA’ remains a big legit contender at lightweight and could be involved in some fun fights next time out.
One scrap that makes sense between two legends and can headline a Fight Night card or be a welcomed addition to a pay-per-view main card is dos Anjos vs. Tony Ferguson 2. The two fought back in 2016 with Ferguson winning by decision in a five-round scrap. It would be another fun fight and one that makes sense as neither would be in title contention until they string together some wins.
What do you think should be next for Rafael Fiziev and Rafael dos Anjos after UFC Vegas 58?