Justin Gaethje gets honest about not taking "heavy wrestling approach" in fights ahead of Rafael Fiziev clash at UFC 313

Justin Gaethje has often faced criticism for supposedly underutilizing his wrestling and overall grappling prowess in his professional MMA career. Gaethje recently addressed that and explained why he generally refrains from using a wrestling-heavy approach in MMA.

During TNT Sports' UFC 313 Preview Show, Gaethje recently spoke to MMA legend Michael Bisping, Nick Peet, and Adam Catterall regarding his upcoming MMA match. Gaethje fights Rafael Fiziev in a rematch at UFC 313 on March 8.

Peet alluded to the frequently brought up narrative that Gaethje, who's an NCAA Division I All-American and experienced amateur wrestler, possesses an impressive wrestling and grappling arsenal but doesn't adequately use it. Peet reaffirmed the belief that Gaethje's striking-heavy, high-risk fighting style isn't considered conducive to a lengthy career.

Justin Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) responded by referencing the 13 fights he's had under the UFC banner and 13 post-fight bonuses he's received. Implying that he wouldn't have gotten as many bonuses by using a wrestling-heavy style, the American stated:

"Yeah, I mean, I certainly never would have got 13 [UFC] fights with 13 bonuses if I would've taken a heavy wrestling approach. That's just not who I am. I mean, the quickest way off a wrestling mat was a pin, and quickest way out of here [an MMA bout] is a knockout. So, you know, I've been very successful at creating damage, creating car crashes.

"My reaction time from 'Point A' to 'Point B' is second to none. And I have to really rely on that, and I have relied on that, you know, since day one, and it's found me a lot of success. And, again, I think coming away from -- going away from that was detrimental. I've found success in some fights."

Moreover, Justin Gaethje pointed out that each stylistic matchup is different and fighters never know what it'll be like until they gets in there and start managing distance and gauging range and timing.

Gaethje also implied that the in-fight decisions are to be made in an extremely short timeframe, adding that MMA is the most exciting sport due to the myriad of variables at play. The 36-year-old further hinted at possibly using his wrestling in future MMA fights.

Check out Gaethje's comments below:

Watch Justin Gaethje's full interview below:

---

Former UFC fighter on Justin Gaethje's high-risk fighting style

Incidentally, Justin Gaethje's high-risk fighting style recently elicited a detailed assessment from a former UFC lightweight, Josh Thomson.

On the Weighing In podcast, alongside podcast co-host and ex-MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy, Thomson opined that he didn't want to see Gaethje get KO'd like his last fight, a fifth-round KO defeat against Max Holloway in their BMF title showdown last April.

'The Punk' suggested that both Gaethje and Fiziev are capable of knocking each other out. Thomson underlined that Gaethje should use a cautious approach as he did in his first encounter, during which he outpointed Fiziev, rather than adopting his usual high-risk fighting style that isn't conducive to a long career:

"I think beating him [Fiziev] the same way would probably be ideal. You get into a slugfest with him, you're opening yourself up to what happened in the last 10 seconds of the Max Holloway fight."

Watch Thomson's assessment below (1:04:04):