‘Who is the best Rafael in sport’: MMA star calls out Nadal after knocking out opponent at UFC Vegas 58

In a bizarre turn of event, UFC fighter Rafael Fiziev expressed his desire to face tennis legend Rafael Nadal. Fiziev's reaction came after he defeated Rafael dos Anjos via technical knockout at UFC Vegas 58 on Sunday. It was a rematch between the two MMA fighters as the earlier duel, which was scheduled to take place in February this year, was cancelled.

“I want to say, now we know who is the best Rafael in the UFC, and now I wanna make a new challenge who is the best Rafael in sport, Rafael Nadal, come here, come here,” responded Fiziev when asked who would he like to fight next.

He also claimed to beat Nadal in tennis, if the 22-time Grand Slam winner agrees to the challenge. “Rafael Nadal, where him? I can beat him in his sport too.”

Meanwhile, this isn't the first instance when Fiziev has called out a celebrity inside the Octagon. He had earlier challenged Hasbulla Magomedov and comedian Vince Vaughn.

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This was Fiziev's sixth consecutive win at UFC and his last defeat came way back in 2019 against Magomed Mustafaev. With the lightweight championship title vacant at the moment, Fiziev has surely made a statement with his performance.

Meanwhile, Nadal, who won the French Open earlier this year, withdrew from Wimbledon ahead of his semifinal match against runners-up Nick Kyrgios. He suffered a torn abdominal muscle on last week, a day before the semifinals.