Justin Gaethje, former UFC interim lightweight champion picked up a victory against Rafael Fiziev in the co-main event of UFC 313.
Both fighters had agreed on an impromptu rematch at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“He’s a bad motherf—-er, man. Honestly, world-class,” Gaethje said of Fiziev after the match.
“He really changed his tactics from the last fight, and I really just had to start pushing forward.
Fiziev came to battle and brought the fight to Gaethje from the beginning of the bout. However, his dominance began to fizzle out towards the latter part of the fight.
“Twelve days’ notice, for him to not get completely exhausted, he deserves so much credit. This sport is so f—ing crazy. And I’m pretty sure my hand’s broken, but that’s one tough son of a b—–.”Justin was supposed to fight Dan Hooker in the co-main event, but he withdrew from the match after breaking his hand. Seeing his opportunity, Fiziev decided to give his rematch with Gaethje a try, as anything could happen.
Justin was full of gratitude and respect for his opponent, who had not competed since 2023 due to a torn ACL that had just healed.
“Let’s train together,” Gaethje told Fiziev after the rematch. “Let’s never fight again unless it’s for a belt.”
