Returning in an impromptu pairing at UFC 313, Justin Gaethje has candidly admitted it’s win or bust tomorrow evening towards Rafael Fiziev for his championship hopes, claiming any concept of taking up Islam Makhachev in a dream battle go “in the toilet” with a second consecutive loss.
Former interim light-weight champion, Gaethje, who has been sidelined since a shocking loss to Max Holloway of their symbolic BMF title battle at UFC 300, takes on Kazakh native, Fiziev in a rematch of their 2023 pairing this weekend.
Initially scheduled to battle the surging Metropolis Kickboxing star, Dan Hooker in a title-eliminator over the course of 5 rounds, Gaethje as an alternative books a rematch with Tiger Muay Thai ace, Fiziev in a bid to return to the winner’s enclosure.
Justin Gaethje candid on title hopes with loss at UFC 313 tomorrow
Nonetheless, forward of the re-run, Arizona veteran, Justin Gaethje claimed if he loses his second battle on the trot, his championship ambitions seemingly go “in the toilet”.
“This is a risky fight, very risky fight,” Gaethje informed UFC throughout a current interview. “If I lose this, my aspirations to fight for a belt are pretty much in the toilet. But it is what it is, you know? Every single fight is so risky, and this life I chose is pretty risky. But it’s so fun. And yeah, I would love to go out there and get that finish, but this guy’s world-class. I think it’s a little bit more dangerous than fighting Dan Hooker at the end of the day, because he’s so skilled and he’s got so much power.”
And over the course of final week, the previous interim champion confirmed he’s gunning for one more shot on the undisputed light-weight crown, describing a pairing with pound-for-pound primary, Makhachev as a “dream” pairing for him subsequent.
“I mean, I’m always shooting for (Islam) Makachev, you know, right now he’s the champion,” Justin Gaethje defined. “And we noticed with (Dustin) Poirier, you recognize, I beat him after which he fought for the belt. I feel timing is such an enormous issue on this sport.
