Written by Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Follow the UFC 313 live blog for Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev, the main card lightweight rematch Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Gaethje currently stands at No. 5 at 155 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Fiziev remains at No. 11 as he heads into his first fight since September 2023.
“The Highlight” was originally scheduled to fight Dan Hooker, but a hand injury forced Hooker to withdraw and be replaced by Fiziev on short notice. Gaethje (25-5) first fought Fiziev in the co-main event of UFC 286, where he won a majority decision after an exciting three-round contest. The 36-year-old is coming off of one of the most insane knockouts in MMA history, a last-second loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300. He needs another win over Fiziev to keep his name in the contender circle.
Fiziev (12-3) has been hunting for a big name for his comeback fight and he has to be happy to have landed Gaethje. When we last saw Fiziev, he was felled by an unfortunate knee injury in the second round of a fight with Mateusz Gamrot, and he has spent the better part of the past 18 months rehabbing from that injury. Can he avenge his loss to Gaethje and swoop into a top 5 spot?
Check out the UFC 313 live blog for Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev 2 below.
‘,c(t.firstChild,i)))})(window);