Fiziev KOs Dos Anjos in 5th round of UFC main event

Well, it's official: Rafael Fiziev is the best Rafael in the lightweight division.

Fiziev, one of the hottest up-and-comers in MMA, knocked out former champion Rafael dos Anjos at the 0:18 mark of the fifth round in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday in Las Vegas.

Fiziev controlled most of the fight, which played out almost entirely in the stand-up department. He was the sharper and more powerful striker, mixing up punches and kicks to edge Dos Anjos in the opening 15 minutes.

Dos Anjos came on strong in the fourth, stinging Fiziev with a left hand and then finally securing his first takedown of the fight after several failed attempts in the earlier rounds. But Fiziev sealed the deal with a left hook early in the fifth frame to leave the Octagon with the biggest victory of his career.

Afterward, Fiziev jokingly called out tennis star Rafael Nadal and then said he wants a top-five opponent next.

Fiziev improved his winning streak to six with the triumph. The 29-year-old is due for another big fight in his next outing, as he was ranked No. 10 and Dos Anjos was No. 7 going into Saturday's headliner. Fiziev has only lost once as a professional, in his 2019 UFC debut.

Dos Anjos saw his two-fight winning streak end. This was his first loss since January 2020. The 37-year-old held the UFC lightweight title from 2015-16 and defended it once.