Fiziev undergoing nose surgery, hopes to return by end of year 

The lightweight contender is going to be out for the next couple of months. 

Rafael Fiziev is undergoing surgery.

Ariel Helwani reported on Tuesday that Fiziev needs surgery on his nose after his fifth-round knockout of Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 58 this past Saturday. The lightweight contender revealed during his post-fight press conference his nose was broken either in the first or second round of the fight.

“Almost 20 years career, [this] is the first time somebody broke my nose,” said Fiziev (video provided by MMA Junkie). “He broke my nose I think in the first or second round. I feel it like ‘Tak!’ when he punched me and I think, ‘Oh, he broke my nose.’ But it’s okay.

“I can’t breathe now,” continued Fiziev. “I think when I come back to Phuket, I need to go to the hospital and make surgery. My nose now is like — I can go to the movie Avatar now.”

The hope is for Fiziev to return to the Octagon by the end of the year. ‘Ataman’ has set his sights on a fight with Justin Gaethje, who is also undergoing surgery on his nose. The ‘Highlight’ said he should be ready to fight again by ‘end of the year, most likely early next year,’ so Gaethje vs. Fiziev could potentially happen soon.

Should Fiziev get Gaethje next, the 29-year-old sees it as the perfect challenge.

“I think he makes my face the same like this, maybe more hard,” said Fiziev. “He’s dangerous. He’s a big challenge for me. He has a lot of chance to knock me out, and I have a lot of chance to knock him out. But yeah, that’s a good fight, for fans also.

“He have s—t kicks, but he has good power in his hands.”

Fiziev is now on a six-fight win streak that includes finishes of Renato Moicano, Brad Riddell and the aforementioned Dos Anjos.