Rafael Fiziev Slams UFC's New Rankings System After UFC Baku Knockout

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 27: Rafael Fiziev of Kazakstan reacts after a knockout victory against Manuel Torres of Mexico in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at National Gymnastics Arena on June 27, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Rafael Fiziev is not thrilled with the new Meta A.I. rankings structure brought in by the UFC, but he'll likely make his first appearance on that list this coming week. Following his incredible main event knockout win at UFC Baku on Saturday against Manuel Torres, Fiziev was asked about the new Meta rankings brought in by the promotion – which didn't include him in the top 15 heading into his matchup with Torres – as well as his message to the rest of the division.

"New rankings system is elephant shit," Fiziev said at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference. "What message [to the division]? Everybody knows me. Everybody knows that I fight with the champion twice."

The victory got Fiziev back in the win column, with the veteran lightweight having entered the contest with just one victory in his past five contests. As Fiziev mentioned, he shared the cage with current lightweight champ Justin Gaethje in two of those three contests, dropping competitive decisions in both. Fiziev was then asked if he should be in consideration for a title shot following his highlight-reel victory, and then attempted to answer the question that appeared to throw him off.

"Oh, no, bro," Fiziev said. "I'm far away from the champion, bro. Like no, for sure. No. I don't like talking about the miracle stuff.

"So I'm far away from him. But I think I have a name for 'BMF,' maybe."