Former BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje is already thinking about how he’ll prepare for Islam Makhachev just hours after UFC 313.
Justin Gaethje silenced his detractors after a long fighting absence to outpoint Rafael Fiziev in the UFC 313 co-main event. A rematch of their UFC 286 clash looked oddily similar at UFC 313, as Gaethje bounced back from a slow start to hand Fiziev his third consecutive defeat.
Gaethje entered UFC 313 with a lot of pressure coming off of a brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway last April. But despite questions about his durability and skillset ahead of UFC 313, Gaethje reminded fans and pundits he remains one of the pound-for-pound best.
After defeating Fiziev by unanimous decision, Gaethje is right back in the lightweight title mix and could be next for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Gaethje shut down a potential trilogy with fellow fan favorite, Dustin Poirier, during the UFC 313 post-fight press conference.
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Justin Gaethje accepts Islam Makhachev is a tall mountain to climb after UFC 313
Gaethje’s title aspirations seemed eradicated after UFC 300. But a full year after the buzzer-beating knockout loss, Gaethje is hoping that the third time’s the charm if he gets the next lightweight title shot.
During the UFC 313 post-fight press conference, Gaethje addressed what could be next following his rematch win over Fiziev.
“I want to fight for the belt obviously, it’s a much different matchup than I just had,” Gaethje said. “They tried to give me a donut, I took a bit but I gotta get back to running if I’m going to fight Makhachev.
“I have to get my Jiu-Jitsu coach out here, really it’s just confidence. He’s a tough matchup for anyone, he’s so good, so strong. Going to have to have a perfect night if I want to beat him.”
Gaethje then hit back at those who question his case for the next title shot over top contenders like Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.
“Argue with yourself,” Gaethje said.
Makhachev was supposed to face Tsarukyan at UFC 311 before Tsarukyan withdrew on hours’ notice due to injury. He went on to finish Renato Moicano in minutes in the UFC 311 headliner to successfully defend his belt for the fourth time.
Dana White endorsed Justin Gaethje title case after UFC 313
Luckily for Gaethje, UFC headman Dana White seems on board with the two-time title challenger getting another crack at the belt. Gaethje suffered title fight losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Oliveira earlier in his career.
Another potential option for Gaethje is UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who will vacate his belt for a full-time move to lightweight. It’s uncertain if Topuria will get the next shot at Makhachev, and depending on Makhachev’s return timeline, a clash with Gaethje could make sense.
Either way, Gaethje’s return to the Octagon after his devastating loss at UFC 300 points to a potential resurgence in his career. In the coming weeks, we could learn more about whether or not he’ll get another lightweight title shot.