Gaethje vs. Fiziev targeted for UFC 286

January 16, 2023

2 min read

It has been reported that Justin Gaethje will meet Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 at the O2 Arena in London, England on March 18th.

Brett Okamoto of ESPN first broke the news, stating that the UFC’s #3 ranked lightweight in Gaethje will collide with the #6 ranked Fiziev. This matchup will likely be UFC 286’s co-main event, while Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 will be the card’s headliner.

The last time we saw Gaethje in action was when he came up short in his lightweight title fight with Charles Oliveira at UFC 274 in May of last year. Gaethje is coming off of a loss, but he has won five of his last seven, and consistently brings the ruckus every time out. As for Fiziev, he is currently on a six-fight winning streak, with his last performance being a spectacular left hook knockout of the UFC’s former lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos.

Fiziev has the technical striking edge in this one, and is a physical specimen in his own right, but Gaethje has an experience edge against elite competition — and he’s an absolute dog. I wouldn’t count on a lot of grappling going on here, and there’s a great chance that somebody is getting finished… by viscous strikes, severe swelling, or a nasty cut. This stylistic matchup promises to deliver violence of the highest caliber, and for anyone not from England or not related to Kamaru Usman, this is the people’s main event.

London. Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) vs. Rafael Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) is nearly finalized for UFC 286 on March 18. Nos. 3 and 6 at lightweight to meet. What a fight. pic.twitter.com/GtKSouskku

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 15, 2023