The one thing that Justin Gaethje said he didn't want to do — get into a knockdown, drag-out brawl with Rafael Fiziev on Saturday at UFC 286 in London — he did.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 18: Justin Gaethje reacts after his victory over Rafael Fiziev of Kazakstan in a lightweight fight during the UFC 286 event at The O2 Arena on March 18, 2023 in London, England.
He won a majority decision over Fiziev in another wild slugfest Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England, taking the about by scores of 29-28 twice and 28-28. Yahoo Sports had it 29-28 for Gaethje. Gaethje wanted to fight controlled and not go toe-to-toe with Fiziev, who is one of the best kickboxers in the UFC and definitively showed that Saturday.
But Gaethje survived an onslaught early in the third by popping his jab, which allowed him to control the distance and rally in the second half of the third to pull out the win.He knew, though, that it was inevitable because of the style that both men faced. Fiziev entered the bout ranked No. 6 at lightweight and had been calling out Gaethje for a while. At No. 3 and coming off losses in two of his last three fights, Gaethje felt the time was right to take it.
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