
Justin Gaethje. Foto via Instagram: (@justin_gaethje)
Top ranked lightweights Rafael Fiziev and Justin Gaethje just clashed in the highly anticipated co-main event of UFC 286.
Early in the first round, Gaethje landed a huge leg kick to gain respect from his opponent. However, Fiziev came out aggressive and threw bombs with incredible speed.
Round two started with Fiziev landing a heavy body kick. Gaethje fired back, landing a flush combo by the half round mark. Extremely competitive round.
In the third and final round, Fiziev poured it on from the start, mixing up his striking.
However, when Gaethje started to pop out his jab to damage his opponent’s right eye, the tide turned. The American really stepped up in the latter part of the round, mixing up the jabs with heavy right uppercuts.
After the final bell, Gaethje stood as the winner via majority decision with 29-28, 29-28, 28-28 on the scorecards.
Read more: Jennifer Maia ends Casey O’Neill’s unbeaten streak with solid performance
Justin Gaethje looks for a title shot
After the tough and competitive bout, the American opened up on the massive win and the future.
”These guys are young and hungry,” Gaethje said in the post-fight interview. ”I’m taking one last run for the title, but won’t be around so much longer.”
Read more: Rising star Jack Shore submits Makwan “Mr. Finland” Amirkhani
Read more: Huge lightweight fight set to headline UFC Vegas event: “There will be a lot of attention”
Follow Frontkick on Instagram for more MMA and boxing news and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content!