Las Vegas — The most violent man in mixed martial arts earned post-fight bonus #14 in his 14th UFC fight, going the distance in a three-round war with Rafael Fiziev in the UFC 313 co-main event.
While the fight was a rematch, Fiziev showed that he had added new wrinkles to his game since the pair’s first meeting in 2023. In particular, he came out and wrestling in the opening round, a rather surprising scene given Fiziev’s Muay Thai roots.
Speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press following his unanimous decision, Fight of the Night victory, Gaethje admitted that he “was a little nervous” in that opening round. “He took a very different approach than the first fight. If I don’t move forward when he’s fighting like that, then I’m going to have issues. He’s so fast.”
“My coaches telling me I needed to win the second and third rounds, I knew I needed to move forward,” Gaethje added. “I think all the champions move forward, and I think that’s a huge part of this sport.”
Winning, and entertaining, are also huge parts of the sport. Gaethje, a former WSOF and interim UFC lightweight champion, not to mention BMF champ, does both. That means he’s never far from a title fight, despite coming up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira previously.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. We’ll see,” Gaethje replied when asked what makes sense next. Yet when it comes to what he really wants, “I want to fight for the belt, obviously,” he stated. “It’s a much different match-up than I just had. They tried to give me a donut, I took a bite, but I’ve got to get back to running if I’m going to fight Makhachev.”
Islam Makhachev has been the heir apparent to Khabib Nurmagomedov and has looked almost as unstoppable. Gaethje appears to recognize that, and admitted he’ll need to shore up his game to beat the champ.
“I’m going to have to get my jiu-jitsu coach out here. It’s really just confidence. He’s a touch match-up for me. He’s so good, so strong. I’m going to need a perfect night if I’m going to beat him.”
One fight Justin Gaethje does not want is a rubber match with Dustin Poirier. It’s wildly believed that Poirier’s next fight will be his last. The pair have fought twice previously, with both meetings resulting in sheer carnage.
“No. I’ve explained it many times, I don’t think either one of our families deserve that,” Gaethje said when asked about being Poirier’s final opponent. “We’re one and one, I’m okay with it. If he’s okay with it, then no. I think we’re contenders if we beat other people. If I beat him I don’t think either one of us would be considered a contender.”
Watch the full UFC 313 post-fight press conference with Justin Gaethje above.
