UFC lightweight star Rafael Fiziev dropped to 0-2 all-time against Justin Gaethje after accepting a short-notice booking at UFC 313.
Rafael Fiziev‘s attempt at catapulting into the lightweight title mix fell short of the mark at UFC 313 against Justin Gaethje.
Fiziev and Gaethje treated fans and viewers to another wild back-and-forth co-main event at UFC 313 on Saturday in Las Vegas. After accepting a short-notice rematch against Gaethje, Fiziev held his own in the opening minutes of the fight before Gaethje poured it on and largely dominated the final two rounds.
Fiziev filled for the injured Dan Hooker opposite Gaethje at UFC 313. He returned to the Octagon for the first time since snapping his leg against Mateusz Gamrot in September 2023, prompting a long hiatus from competition.
Rafael Fiziev apologizes to his fans after second career loss to Justin Gaethje
Despite falling short on the judges’ scorecards by unanimous decision, Fiziev took home a post-fight performance bonus for his efforts against Gaethje. Meanwhile, Gaethje could be next for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
As Fiziev deals with suffering from the jaws of defeat for the second time in three fights against Gaethje, the 32-year-old is looking ahead to what’s next as he looks to get back into the title mix.
In a recent post on X, Fiziev addressed his followers after his ‘Fight of the Night’ with Gaethje.
“Sorry guys I let you down and didn’t get the win,” Fiziev posted. “Congratulations to Justin, it was great to share octagon with you.”
Luckily for Fiziev, his stock likely won’t take a significant hit after UFC 313. He remains a dangerous Top 15 lightweight who could potentially challenge for a title before he walks away.
Justin Gaethje ruled out one high-profile fight after UFC 313
While Gaethje has a possible title clash with Makhachev in his crosshairs after UFC 313, he eliminated one possible matchup after defeating Fiziev. Gaethje has no interest in facing Dustin Poirier in a trilogy bout when the latter hangs up the gloves in his retirement fight later this year.
Gaethje bounced back from a brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway in his last fight at UFC 300. After taking a full year off to recover from the Holloway defeat, many speculated that Gaethje was on his last legs entering UFC 313.
But Gaethje impressively dismissed that narrative at UFC 313 and makes a strong case for a title shot. He’s looking for redemption after title shots fell short against Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov during his career.
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