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DALLAS, TX – MAY 12: Justin Gaethje speaks to the media during the UFC Summer Kickoff Press Conference at the American Airlines Center on May 12, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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DALLAS, TX – MAY 12: Justin Gaethje speaks to the media during the UFC Summer Kickoff Press Conference at the American Airlines Center on May 12, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC star Justin Gaethje gave his opponent Rafael Fiziev the beat down of his life at UFC 286 when both the lightweights clashed. The O2 Arena on March 18 bore witness to the fighting prowess of ‘The Highlight’ as he racked a splendid victory. However, the Saturday night fight also evoked concerned reactions from the fans as the brutalized face of ‘Ataman’ sprouted blood. While the heated encounter gave fans a memorable match, the declaration of the same previously raised some eyebrows. For some, the Safford native fighting a lower-ranked fighter didn’t add up, especially since his last fight was a title shot. Finally, the American fighter raised curtains for his accepting a fight against the Azerbaijani fighter.
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Notably, the 34-year-old in the post-fight press conference discussed the recently concluded UFC PPV and also gave a sad update on his career. In addition, towards the last minutes of the interview, he mentioned how he beat the former Muay Thai fighter in his own game. Further, the 24-4 record holder mentioned a tweet from the last year triggered a chain of events that culminated in their fight in London.
Justin Gaethje wanted to ‘f*ck’ Fiziev up for the disrespectful tweet
The #3 ranked lightweight revealed he wanted an Octagon date with Fiziev over a tweet the latter made in reference to Conor McGregor‘s cryptic yacht video.
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DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 02: Justin Gaethje prepares to enter the Octagon against Eddie Alvarez in their lightweight bout during the UFC 218 event inside Little Caesars Arena on December 02, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Thus, he said, “I really wanted to fight this guy ever since he put that video of Connor getting his d*ck sucked on a boat in reference that it was me. I really wanted to f*ck him up. So I’m glad I got to make his face look like that.”
Markedly, in October 2022, the 12-2 record holder took a dig at Gaethje as he posted the indecent video featuring ‘Mystic Mac’. Also, he made an inference that the Elevation Fight Team representative tried to negotiate a fight deal with the Irishman. The tweet, however, didn’t sit well with the prominent wrestler, as he exacted revenge in the best method possible.
❗️BREAKING: video of @Justin_Gaethje negotiating his next fight with Conor on his boat!😱 pic.twitter.com/IkIs5cuYDB
— Rafael “Ataman” Fiziev (@RafaelFiziev) October 7, 2022
Similarly, the Tiger Muay Thai team product landed the coveted fight but failed to capitalize on the opportunity to break into the top-5.
What do you think of these statements by UFC star Justin Gaethje about his opponent, Rafael Fiziev? Do you believe Fiziev crossed a line with his statement? Let us know in the comments below.
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Vineet Nandwana