Idman.biz
Australia became one of the main centers of world sports last weekend. The "UFC 325" tournament was held in Sydney, and in this competition, Azerbaijani fighter Rafael Fiziev lost to Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy, while the "Australian Open" tournament ended in Melbourne.
Idman.Biz reports that the night held in Sydney was the number one tournament for the year's leading fighting league. An additional point of interest for local fans was the fight of the public's favorite, Alexander Volkanovski. In a match against Brazilian Diego Lopes, the current UFC champion in the lightweight division, he demonstrated complete superiority and won a confident victory.
The fight between Fiziev and Ruffy was third in importance, but not behind in importance. Both athletes had points to prove, especially for Rafael, who returned to his successful path last year by winning over Ignacio Bahamondes, but later withdrew from the meeting with Charles Oliveira in Rio de Janeiro due to injury.
Our fighter performed in Sydney with great hopes. Azerbaijani fighter Nazim Sadygov was among those who came to support him.
But in the fight with the Brazilian, "Ataman" could not do what he wanted and lost by technical knockout in the second round.
After the defeat, notes of unbreakable will were felt in Rafael's words: "I live the life that my courage allows. I am a fighter and I will come back. I will go further, I will develop myself, I will work, I will move forward and I will try to please everyone with my victories," Fiziev emphasized.
This defeat for Fiziev can be called unexpected in a sense. Although experts noted that Ruffy has greatly improved his striking technique and adaptation to his opponent after his previous defeats. In the first round, Fiziev controlled the distance and worked effectively with low kicks. But Ruffy found his rhythm, gradually gaining the upper hand in the stand-up fight using accurate jabs and pressing. After the Brazilian's strong straight punch passed, Rafael could not effectively defend against the opponent's consecutive attacks, which led to a technical knockout.
After the defeat to Ruffy, experts agree on one point: Fiziev does not need an "upper" fight in terms of rating at the moment. He needs a smart, restarting match where he can regain his confidence and show his style. Potential rivals include Dan Hooker, Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot.
Meanwhile, the two-week "Australian Open" marathon in Melbourne has ended and the tournament was remembered with Carlos Alcaraz's victory. After the legendary Novak Djokovic eliminated Yannick Sinner in the semi-finals and won the first set against Alcaraz in the final, he made a serious claim to win his 25th "Grand Slam" title in his career. The Serbian relied on precise shots and court vision, but could not do anything against it when the Spanish tennis player increased the tempo and took the initiative.
Carlos celebrated his anniversary victory by winning his 25th title at the tour level and entered the top ten tennis players with the most titles in history. This happened just over five years after Alcaraz's debut in the "Grand Slam" tournaments in the fall of 2020.
Djokovic stated before the match that Alcaraz would recover more easily because he is 16 years younger. This factor played its role in the meeting. At the same time, Carlos showed that he is already a more mature tennis player, while the Spanish athlete is still at the beginning of his journey.
The first "Grand Slam" tournament of the year brought together countless tennis fans. 56,931 spectators watched the final match from the stands, which is a new record for the "Australian Open" final weekends. Melbourne continues to maintain its status as the capital of one of the most successful tournaments in the world tour.
