The East has bestowed the UFC with a number of noteworthy stars. A few of them have also defeated all odds to claim the UFC’s divisional crown. However, several fans might opine there’s no one that can match the stature of the famed former UFC Lightweight champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov when it comes to champions from the East.

Most fans might know that ‘The Eagle’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, was a legendary Sambo coach. This is why he didn’t have to travel far from home to locate an initial martial arts trainer. However, there are a number of noted martial arts training centers in the East that have been producing world-class martial artists. It is worth noting that ‘Tiger Muay Thai’ has become a widely recognized name in this discussion with an array of champions trained out of the facility.

Rafael Fiziev has teammates at Tiger Muay Thai: Valentina Shevchenko, Petr Yan, and more

The famed former UFC Flyweight champ, Valentina Shevchenko, also trained out of this Phuket, Thailand-based facility for her fight at Noche UFC. However, ‘Tiger Muay Thai’, also known as ‘Tiger Muay Thai & MMA’ is all set to have yet another eminent fighter, stepping inside the octagon- the famed UFC Lightweight, Rafael Fiziev. He intends to add another feather to the cap of ‘Tiger Muay Thai’ when he walks out for the UFC Vegas 79 main event on 23 September.

As most fans might know, it’s nearly impossible to train in martial arts all alone. Apart from sparring with a partner, a number of specific training routines also require someone to help the practitioner. This is mostly why fighters often operate in teams while training. Quite understandably, the upcoming UFC Vegas 79 main eventer, Rafael Fiziev, also must have his own team at ‘Tiger Muay Thai’.

Both Fiziev and Valentina Shevchenko are UFC fighters and longtime trainees of ‘TMT’. Hence, it’s quite understandable that they operate as a team whenever they come together for training.

The famed former UFC Bantamweight king, Petr ‘No Mercy’ Yan has also trained with Fiziev and Shevchenko as a team during his time in ‘TMT’. However, there are a number of other athletes as well who have chosen ‘TMT’ to prepare for a specific period of time or for a specific fight.

Did Khamzat Chimaev and Alexander Volkanovski also train at Tiger Muay Thai?

An affirmation would be the correct answer to this question. Most fans might know that martial artists often choose to train at a facility located close to their residences. However, depending on their opponents, they also chose to visit and train in various other facilities.

READ MORE – “In This Fight, I Forgot About Everything” – Rafael Fiziev Holds Nothing Back as Disappointing Justin Gaethje Loss Rears Its Ugly Head Ahead of Mateusz Gamrot Fight

Both the famed UFC stars, Khamzat Chimaev and Alexander Volkanovski, have trained out of ‘TMT’ for their training camp prior to a specific fight. A large chunk of fans might know that the noted UFC featherweight champ, Volkanovski, usually trains out of the Australian martial arts and MMA facility, City Kickboxing. But, even ‘TMT’s’ official website states that ‘Volk’ has trained in ‘TMT’ for several fights.

The noted UFC welterweight-turned-middleweight, Khamzat Chimaev, also packs a similar bond with this Phuket-based training facility. But, reports say that Chimaev hasn’t been to ‘TMT’ as frequently as ‘The Great’. While ‘Volk’ trained out of ‘TMT’ for his UFC 245, UFC 273, and a lot of other bouts, ‘TMT’s’ Instagram profile states that Chimaev has only been there once.

The caption to their post revealed that Chimaev had decided to train for his UFC 273 bout in ‘TMT’. A large chunk of fans might say that Gilbert Burns subjected him to the toughest test to date at their UFC 273 bout. However, ‘Borz’ eventually managed to trump ‘Durinho’ via a unanimous decision.

Rafael Fiziev’s fighting style and MMA record

The name ‘Tiger Muay Thai’ ensures that most of its trainees will have quite some commendable skills when it comes to Muay Thai. Well, the spinning back-kicks and elbows thrown by ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko, bear good testimony to this fact. Quite understandably, Fiziev also packs a Muay Thai-based fighting style. He is incredibly agile and can stun opponents with the sheer speed of his strikes.

Fiziev also picks out superb angles to strike his rival. However, most fans might agree that his deadliest weapons are the high kicks that he can throw out of nowhere. ‘The Azerbaijani’ currently holds a UFC record of 6-2 in his eight fights. Whereas, his current professional MMA record stands at 12-2.

Fiziev wasn’t able to display much of his prowess in his previous bout against the current ‘BMF’ of UFC, Justin Gaethje. A loss against ‘The Highlight’ might fire him up for a win in his upcoming UFC Vegas 79 encounter against Mateusz Gamrot even more. But will ‘Ataman’ eventually be able to get the better of ‘Gamer’? Time will tell.

Watch this Story – Is Ronda Rousey Returning At UFC 300? Dana White Answers