Daniel Cormier and Justin Gaethje address concerns about 'The Highlight' losing aura after UFC 300 knockout loss to Max Holloway: "Not as dangerous"

Daniel Cormier recently asked Justin Gaethje about fighters potentially being more comfortable wanting to fight him after his loss against Max Holloway.

In April 2024, Gaethje was on the wrong end of a legendary knockout, as Holloway folded him in the final second of their UFC 300 bout. 'The Highlight' will return to the octagon at UFC 313 against Rafael Fiziev, who stepped in on short notice after Dan Hooker pulled out with an injury.

Ahead of the pay-per-view, Cormier interviewed Gaethje and questioned why several contenders called him out on social media after Hooker withdrew from the fight:

"People wouldn't call out Justin Gaethje. People wouldn't say, 'I want in.' Do you think that all comes from the last result? Where people are like, he's not as dangerous as he used to be, I think I can get him now. Were you surprised that they all want to fight you?"

Gaethje slightly agreed and followed up by clarifying that several lightweight contenders weren't actually willing to accept the short-notice fight against him:

"They didn't want to fight me because they all eventually said no. Well, they didn't say no. They said they were too heavy, that's no."

Check out Daniel Cormier and Justin Gaethje's conversation below (5:13):

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Rafael Fiziev opens up about the "very big risk" of fighting Justin Gaethje on short notice

Rafael Fiziev last fought in September 2023 when he suffered a TKO loss against Mateusz Gamrot due to a severe leg injury. He has since endured an extended layoff to recover.

During an interview with DAZN, Fiziev had this to say about why he was willing to accept the short-notice risk fight against Gaethje:

"If I see the perfect battle, I cannot say no. And yeah, I wish a speedy recovery to [Dan] Hooker, but this fight against Gaethje, it's really a surprise to me. Short-notice? Yes, it's not easy and this is very big risk. It's very big risk, but I love this risk. We are fighters, I'm born with this. I fight since 10 years old. Every month, every two months, every week sometimes. And this is my life."

Check out Rafael Fiziev's comments below:

Gaethje and Fiziev have a history heading into UFC 313. In March 2023, Gaethje ended Fiziev's six-fight win streak in the octagon with a majority decision at UFC 286.