10 UFC fighters from countries you've probably never heard of
By Amy Kaplan
Rafael Fiziev, Azerbaijan
In 2022, Rafael Fiziev became the first UFC fighter to represent the country of Azerbaijan.
"In tonight’s UFC main event, Rafael Fiziev will become the first fighter to ever represent the country of Azerbaijan in the Octagon. His team worked with Azerbaijan Ministry of Sport to get that done this week to rep his heritage," Bretto Okamoto said ahead of the fight.
Azerbaijan is located in Eastern Europte and borders the Caspian Sea, Armenia and Georgia. As of 2021, the population is 10.14 million.
Shavkat Rakhmonov, Kazakhstan
Shavkat Rakhmonov has done Kazakhstan proud in the UFC. He's done so well that the president of Kazakhstan invited him to Ak Orda the presidential palace, according to The Astana Times.
“I was delighted to receive the invitation from the President. He wished me luck and said he is ready to provide any support,” Rakhmonov told the outlet. “This triumph hasn’t been achieved by any other Kazakh fighters so far, which makes it my biggest accomplishment. The best is yet to come."
Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country and former Soviet republic and borders Russia, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. As of 2021, the population is 19 million.