The only thing Justin Gaethje said he didn’t want to do – get involved in a knockdown, drawn-out fight with Rafael Fiziev on Saturday at UFC 286 in London – he did.
However, don’t pretend to be surprised.
That’s how Gaethje fights, and that’s why it’s made him not only one of the toughest opponents in the lightweight division, but also one of the most popular fighters in history.
He defeated Fiziev by majority decision in another wild slugfest on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England, winning the fight 29-28 twice and 28-28. Sportzshala Sports had 29-28 for Gaethje.
Gaethje wanted to fight in a controlled manner and not go toe-to-toe with Fiziev, who is one of the best kickboxers in the UFC and made his mark that Saturday.
But Gaethje survived the onslaught early in the third, landing his jab, which allowed him to control the distance and rally in the second half of the third to snatch the win.
“I literally tried not to,” Gaethje said of the wild fight he had just won.
However, he knew it was inevitable due to the style both men faced. Fiziev entered the fight finishing 6th in the lightweight division and challenged Gaethje for a while. After finishing 3rd and losing two of his last three fights, Gaethje felt it was time to take it.
“I knew this fight couldn’t be exciting,” Gaethje said.
Gaethje had issues with Fiziev’s speed in the first round, as Fiziev landed a lot of body kicks and clearly won the round. But Gaethje pulled him in the second and pulled him out in the third, even though his only takedown came in the last 10 seconds and didn’t matter in terms of scoring.
Gaethje has made it clear that he won’t fight again, so he hopes to earn another title shot.
“This is a dangerous bastard,” Gaethje said of Fiziev. He then turned to the roaring O2 crowd and said, “I want to fight for the title again. I won’t be around anymore so I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it.”
The crowd applauded, unsurprisingly. This is what happens in every Justin Gaethje fight.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
