UFC Brawler Wants To Fight Actor Vince Vaughn, Who Is Apparently Great At Jiu-Jitsu
Rafael Fiziev won his fifth straight UFC bout Saturday night against Brad Riddell with a punishing wheel kick.
Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight in the third round: a TKO victory for Fiziev.
As Fiziev looked over the attending crowds in his post-win speech, he pointed to Vince Vaughn to call the actor out for an upcoming fight.
“Give me three months, and I’m ready to fight again,” Fiziev declared. “We have one legend here, maybe he wants to fight with me. Yeah, his name Vince Vaughn … Yeah, I love him.”
Not having the most extensive filmography in action flicks — barring his performance in Brawl in Cell Block 99 — Vaughn laughed off the offer and stuck around for the Font vs. Aldo main card.
However, the tale of the tape may suggest that the comedic thespian has a solid shot to beat the Lightweight champ, should he accept.
Vaughn has been an ardent practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for nearly five years, and on average, a BJJ student reaches brown belt in that time frame — one rank away from the coveted black belt.
Considering Vaughn's stature, brutally displayed in Cell Block, taking on the 5-foot-8, 154-pound Fiziev could prove a grueling contest for the UFC fighter, should Vaughn stick to the ground game. As seen by Riddell's strategy, Vaughn may not want to stay upright against the 28-year-old opponent — though Fiziev may need to channel his best Frank Dux impression to land a spinning wheel kick on the 6-foot-5 Vaughn.
According to Vaughn's BJJ Professor, Rener Gracie, the actor has been a dedicated student and trains regardless of his filming locations.
"Occasionally he would need to travel to film a movie, but he always finds a place to train on the road," Gracie said.
"Vince is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and always takes time to connect with other students on and off the mat. We’re honored to train him and his kids, and if I had to bet I’d say he’s in it for life!"
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