Justin Gaethje has zero regrets about how UFC 300 ended.
Final April, Gaethje put his “BMF” title on the road in opposition to Max Holloway at UFC 300, and issues didn’t go his approach. After 24 minutes and 50 seconds of back-and-forth motion, Holloway pointed to the bottom and beckoned Gaethje to satisfy him within the center for the ultimate 10 seconds; “The Spotlight” obliged and wound up on the receiving finish of maybe the best spotlight in UFC historical past—Holloway’s iconic last-second knockout that gained KO of the 12 months honors.
It’s unhealthy sufficient to endure a knockout loss that lives perpetually, however issues solely bought worse for Gaethje after a clip went viral displaying the previous interim light-weight champion twitching whereas unconscious. However Gaethje has no disgrace about that clip, nor regrets about his decisions in that battle in opposition to Holloway.
“I’m glad I noticed it,” Gaethje advised reporters on the UFC 313 Media Day. “From what I noticed, I used to be attempting to rise up and battle. It’s simply what I do. I select ‘battle’ as an alternative of ‘flight’ each single time, and that’s what I count on from myself: to try to rise up.”
Gaethje was unable to rise up and battle once more at UFC 300, however now he has an opportunity to place that loss behind him on Saturday when he returns to the octagon for a rematch in opposition to Rafael Fiziev within the co-main occasion of UFC 313. Gaethje was initially set to face Dan Hooker in a highly-anticipated battle, however when Hooker withdrew attributable to a hand harm, Fiziev stepped in on quick discover.
It’s a troublesome change of opponent for Gaethje, who beat Fiziev by majority resolution when the 2 confronted off in 2023, however 36-year-old light-weight says he by no means as soon as hesitated about taking the battle this weekend.
“I really like preventing. I bought my ass knocked out final battle and I’m dying to get again in there and get that again,” Gaethje mentioned. “On the finish of the day, all these guys are very, very harmful. We went by our choices; I wished [Arman] Tsarukyan or [Charles] Oliveira, but when I used to be them, I’d by no means take the battle and I don’t blame them for that. [Renato] Moicano piped up after which didn’t take the battle. That was my best choice. After which it was simply not battle, and I’ve been working so exhausting, that basically wasn’t an possibility for me. …
“I’m grateful for [Fiziev]. He was midway — most likely greater than midway internationally, nevertheless massive the world is. He took the battle. He came to visit right here. I applaud him for that. I like to carry out and I used to be able to carry out. I used to be attempting to make it occur.”
Thought to be two of essentially the most thrilling fighters within the light-weight division, Gaethje and Fiziev’s first battle earned Battle of the Night time honors and was on the shortlist for Battle of the 12 months for 2023. Because of this, each fighters acknowledge that one other struggle is probably going forward of them on Saturday, and regardless of how issues turned out for him at UFC 300, Gaethje insists he’s nonetheless simply as prepared to satisfy Fiziev within the heart of the octagon and slug it out if his opponent replicates Holloway’s well-known callout.
“In the event you’ve ever seen me battle, you understand I’ll settle for that problem each single time,” Gaethje mentioned. “When [Holloway] pointed on the floor I mentioned sure and ran to the center. So completely.”
