Las Vegas, the center of the combat sports universe, will again serve as the host city for another UFC Fight Night. Saturday night, the UFC Apex opens its doors to the finest talents of MMA’s top promotion. UFC Vegas 79 features (absent of any postponements) 11 fights all told.
Live coverage begins Saturday afternoon at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT with the undercard. Main card fights follow at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT from the Apex facility. Viewers inside the United States can watch UFC Vegas 79 and the UFC Vegas 79 main event on ESPN’s subscription-based streaming platform, ESPN+.
Top-10 Fight at Lightweight in UFC Vegas 79 Main Event
Highlighting the night’s itinerary is a top-10 bout in the UFC‘s 155-lb. division. No. 6 contender Rafael Fiziev (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets No. 7 contender Mateusz Gamrot (22-2, 1 NC MMA, 12-2 UFC).
As with all UFC main events, Saturday’s headliner is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to complete the evening’s activities.
Climbing the lightweight Top 10!
#7 @Gamer_MMA ready for Rafael Fiziev at #UFCVegas79 Saturday pic.twitter.com/7LAFPy22fu
— UFC (@ufc) September 20, 2023
UFC Vegas 79 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the UFC Vegas 79 main event this Saturday night, Mateusz Gamrot stands as the taller man at 5-foot-10, compared to the 5-foot-9 frame of Rafael Fiziev. The latter owns a one-inch advantage in both reach (71 1/2 inches to 70 1/2 inches) and leg reach (40 inches to 39 inches) over the former in this contest.
Fiziev Looking to Get Back in Win Column
Rafael Fiziev enters the UFC Vegas 79 main event having posted a 4-1 record in his last five fights, but he saw a four-fight winning streak snapped last time out at the hands of Justin Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) during UFC 286 on March 18.
Recently, he talked to UFC.com, where he mentioned that he’s using that last result as motivation to return to the winners’ circle this time around in the UFC Vegas 79 main event.
“I’m feeling good,” Fiziev began. “Come back to Vegas, come back to fight week, always feel [the] same, hungry, angry, excited to fight. Can’t wait, finish this fight, and then going home. Trying to stay fun, always.”
He also called the March defeat a valuable teaching moment.
“I learned how to cook good humble pie first,” he continued. “No need to follow emotions. I have to follow my gameplan and remember this is business. In business, always have a plan.”
Rafael Fiziev has had just over six months to stew over his defeat under the bright lights of pay-per-view in London late last winter.
“Gamer” Driven to Succeed on Saturday
In the other corner, Mateusz Gamrot has gone 4-1 himself over the last five fights. Most recently, he returned to the win column thanks to a split decision over Jalin Turner (13-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in UFC 285 on March 4.
The American Top Team member subscribes to a simple mantra of “hard work, sleep, eat, repeat.” It’s gotten him this main event spot.
He used his Wednesday media availability to lay out a coldly simple truth when it comes to himself versus his opponent.
“He’s a really dangerous opponent,” Gamrot said of Fiziev. “High-level, world-class striker, but I believe I’m the better all-around fighter. “To be honest, I don’t care, because, of course I have much respect to Rafa, but my wrestling skills kill every striker.”
These are confident words from Gamrot, that much is certain.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the UFC Vegas 79 main event looks to favor Mateusz Gamrot, a wrestler with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Rafael Fiziev, a Muay-Thai fighter with a blue belt in BJJ.
Watch Out for Fiziev’s Left Hook
One aspect of Rafael Fiziev’s fight game that’s shown up on video is his penchant to land the big shot. Although it took him a while to score with a left hook, he found his target against Rafael dos Anjos last year.
Right from the command to fight in the fifth and final round, dos Anjos appeared to have momentum on his side with a decent left-handed punch, but Fiziev returned fire with a left hook of his own. Upon knocking dos Anjos down, Fiziev landed a few ground and pound shots before referee Mark Smith waved off the fight in just 18 seconds.
Gamrot Can Lock Up a Quick Submission
Given Mateusz Gamrot’s wrestling background, a takedown and a submission is a distinct possibility in the UFC Vegas 79 main event. Jeremy Stephens found this out the hard way a couple of years ago.
During the first round of a scheduled three, Gamrot almost immediately sprawled and transitioned into a single-leg takedown. Even though Stephens tried to advance on a kimura, Gamrot secured one of his own.
It was all over but the shouting after that, with Gamrot applying the torque to lock it in after just a minute and five seconds.
Final Thoughts
Fight Night main events can be just as entertaining as the headliners seen on pay-per-view. We’ll have a high-stakes affair here. Your winner takes one step close toward an eventual date for a championship. Tune in and enjoy.
Prediction: Mateusz Gamrot by Third-Round Submission.
