Written by Max Holloway is confident with his pick for the UFC 313 co-main event.
Justin Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) runs things back with Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).
Gaethje is coming off a last-second knockout loss to Holloway at UFC 300 last April. “Blessed” is surprised to see Gaethje as a betting underdog against Fiziev, and expects him to rebound him in emphatic fashion.
“This is going to be a fight man,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “With Gaethje coming in as the underdog, this is easy picking for me. You need to roll with Gaethje, especially coming off of his last fight. He wants to erase that last loss with something huge, so I’m calling this right now. I’m picking Justin Gaethje, and I’m going with his nickname man, he’s going to have a highlight this fight.
“I think it’s going to be huge. It’s going to be big. I think he’s going to make a statement. He also knows that the 155-pound division with contenders is super up in the air. Whoever can make that statement win can just jump in there and get a title shot, and I think he goes out there and he does that. They call him ‘The Highlight’ for a reason, and what a better dance partner to do that with than Fiziev because you know Fiziev is going to come and fight.”
Gaethje edged out Fiziev in their first fight at UFC 286 by majority decision. Holloway thinks “The Highlight” will come with a chip on his shoulder after their fight.
“I think Justin, he’s got a lot to prove,” Holloway said. “I really can’t wait. I really can’t wait to see Justin go back in there and do his thing.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.