Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
Former interim UFC lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje has cemented his status within the lightweight division’s top-3 — securing a close, majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28) victory over the surging, Rafael Fiziev in the co-main event of UFC 286 in London, England.
Returning the winner’s enclosure following an unsuccessful bid to land undisputed lightweight gold against Charles Oliveira in April of last year, Gaethje managed to score a hotly-contested co-headlining win over Fiziev — with the help of an impressive striking display in the third and final round.
Struggling massively with the speed and precision of Tiger Muay Thai staple, Fiziev in the first and second round, Gaethje managed to bloody the #6 ranked lightweight contender in the third round, finding home with both a series of jabs and brutal, stinging uppercut shots. With the victory, Gaethje returns to winning-ways for the first time since earning a title shot against Michael Chandler in 2021.