There was so much on the line when Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev rematched at UFC 313.
The lightweight duo previously fought for three chaotic rounds at UFC 286 in March 2023.
Justin Gaethje edged out a majority decision win before winning the BMF belt by knocking out Dustin Poirier.
Things were different when the American fan favorite came up against Rafael Fiziev for a second time after he stepped in on 10 days notice to when Dan Hooker got injured and withdrew from UFC 313.
The story of Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev 2
Fiziev shocked everyone by deciding to wrestle early. The talented striker scored two early takedowns before settling into a standup fight with Gaethje
‘The Highlight’ landed occasional power shots in round one, but it wasn’t until the second round that his fight with Fiziev burst into life.
Gaethje dropped his opponent with a massive uppercut before following him to the ground as the seconds ticked down at the end of round two.
Somehow, Fiziev made it back to his corner after 10 minutes of action.
It appeared to be 1-1 with everything to play for in the final round, which saw a revitalized Fiziev come out throwing big kicks to the head and body.
As the round progressed, he appeared to tire and Gaethje came on strong to seemingly edge out another decision win over his rival.
Ultimately, all three cageside judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Gaethje, who is now 2-0 against Fiziev.
What’s next for Justin Gaethje?
Gaethje made it clear he hoped beating Fiziev at UFC 313 would lead to a lightweight title shot.
155lb king Islam Makhachev picked up a quick submission win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January.
It’s currently unclear who he will face next as there’s no obvious number one contender at lightweight.
Ilia Topuria is a potential option after recently vacating his featherweight title and announcing his move up a division.
Only time will tell if he’ll get an immediate shot at Makhachev or if Gaethje has done enough to earn a third go at UFC gold.