Justin Gaethje could leapfrog Ilia Topuria into lightweight title contention, says ex-UFC champ: "Khabib said he needs to fight the No.1 contender" 

Justin Gaethje is set to face Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 on March 8, following Dan Hooker's withdrawal from the fight due to an injury. Fiziev, looking to snap a two-fight losing streak, last faced Mateusz Gamrot, where the fight was stopped in the second round due to an unfortunate injury.

The injury resulted from an awkward plant of Fiziev's left leg while throwing a kick and stopping the fight, getting ground strikes from Gamrot. Coming off a loss to Max Holloway, 'The Highlight' seeks to rebound dominantly and reaffirm his place in the lightweight title conversation.

Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes Gaethje's performance at this showdown could make a lot of difference in the division. Cejudo suggested that a dominant win for Gaethje could make him leapfrog Ilia Topuria and put himself in line for a title shot against Islam Makhachev.

Cejudo referred to a discussion with Khabib Nurmagomedov that Topuria hasn't faced the top contender in the division, while Gaethje has battled around the best of them:

"I just feel like there's a statement that Justin Gaethje needs to make. This is what I love about Justin—he's creating a storyline. He's saying that if he goes out and performs, he's going to skip Ilia Topuria and fight Islam Makhachev."

Cejudo added:

"I love it. I do believe it could actually happen because when I sat down with Khabib and asked him if Ilia Topuria deserved a title shot at 155 pounds, you know what Khabib said? He needs to fight the number one contender. So I do believe that with a great victory, Justin Gaethje can slide in there and tell Ilia Topuria to move out of the way—this is my turn, you gotta fight the No. 1 contender."

Check out Henry Cejudo's comments on Justin Gaethje in the video below (15:34):

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Justin Gaethje reflects on Max Holloway loss, confident in evolution ahead of UFC 313

Justin Gaethje recently watched his fight with Max Holloway, agreeing that he put forth a commendable performance and learned from the other's efforts. Yet, it could be said he sees some good growth from loss, claiming he is now a much finer and precise fighter.

As 'The Highlight' prepares to face Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, he sees this fight as an opportunity to showcase his improvements. Gaethje said:

"I just watched the Max fight today for the first time, and I actually think I fought really well. It’s just that he was so great that night and fought really well. But even if I go back to that guy, I’m still a much more refined athlete in my skills. With that aggressive style and my skills being much more refined and accurate, that’s a dangerous combination."

Check out his comments in the video below: