UFC 265 Late Prelims- Bobby Green vs Rafael Fiziev: Prediction and Analysis

UFC 265 will welcome a live crowd for the fifth time this year. Apart from the high octane interim heavyweight title clash between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane, the card boasts of some incredible lineups. One of them is a lightweight clash between Bobby Green and Rafael Fiziev on the preliminary card.

‘King’ Green saw his 3 fight winning streak getting snapped against Thiago Moises at UFC Fight Night 181: Hall vs Silva. The latter got the better of the veteran American via unanimous decision. His career record now stands at 27 wins and 11 losses.

He has picked up 8 wins via KO/TKO, 9 via submission, and another 10 via decisions. He will look to make a comeback after succumbing to the Brazilian submission machine.

Meanwhile, ‘Ataman’ Fiziev will look to continue his momentum after picking up 3 consecutive wins. He had an impressive outing against Renato Moicano at UFC 256 where he knocked out the Brazilian in the closing stages of round 1.

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His career record stands at 9 wins and 1 loss. Out of those wins, he has an impressive 6 KO/TKO wins. 1 has come via submission, and another two via decisions.

Bobby Green vs Rafael Fiziev- analysis

If we compare their physical statistics, Green stands at 5’10” tall and has a reach of 71″. Compared to him, ‘Ataman’ measures 5’8″ tall and has a similar reach of 71″.

Career-wise, Green lands 5.17 significant strikes per minute and an accuracy of 51% compared to Fiziev’s 4.67 with a high accuracy of 57%. The latter also has a higher absorption rate of 4.17 and a striking defense of 55%. Green meanwhile has 3.32 absorption per minute with a 63% rate.

Green has an average takedown of 1.56 per 15 mins with an accuracy of 41% compared to Fiziev’s 0.84 with 50% takedown accuracy.

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While the odds are currently in favor of Fiziev, you can’t completely rule out Green. He can prove to be a tough nut for the fast-rising Kyrgyzstani to crack. He has shown previously that he has durability and wrestling.

The only fighter to push Green down with strikes in the last decade is Dustin Poirier. So, he has 15 minutes to out-maneuver Fiziev with his mixed offense.

Neither of his previous opponents could put Fiziev on the canvas, and Green’s superior groundwork isn’t enough to overpower Fiziev’s technical superiority. Besides that, Fiziev’s kickboxing and takedown defense suffice to win him the day.

Final Prediction: Fiziev wins via unanimous decision