Justin Gaethje makes bold vow about his fighting style for Rafael Fiziev clash at UFC 313: "That’s my mindset"

Justin Gaethje recently reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining his signature fighting style ahead of his rematch against Rafael Fiziev. 'The Highlight' is set to face his former rival, Fiziev, in the co-main event of UFC 313 this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gaethje has repeatedly proven himself as one of the most relentless and exciting fighters in the lightweight division. However, in his last few fights, fans have noticed him adopting a more measured and tactical approach to his fighting style.

During a recent interview with SHAK MMA, the former UFC interim 155-pound champion shared his thoughts on his upcoming clash with 'Ataman', admitting that he had adopted a more cautious approach in his past performances. However, Gaethje vowed that at UFC 313, he would bring back the ferocious intensity that defined his early days in the World Series of Fighting:

"With [Michael] Chandler and Fiziev, I kind of found success with being safer, and ultimately that’s not the answer. If you watched the World Series of Fighting Gaethje, that’s who you’re going to see, but just more refined. I obviously have much better skills than I did in those days, and that’s my mindset."

Check out Justin Gaethje's comments below (2:48):

Gaethje was originally scheduled to face Dan Hooker at UFC 313. However, 'The Hangman' was forced to pull out of the bout due to a hand injury, opening the door for Fiziev to step in as a short-notice replacement.

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Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev share mutual respect following rematch announcement

Justin Gaethje recently took to X to claim that after Dan Hooker pulled out, the UFC reached out to multiple high-ranked lightweight contenders to step in as a short-notice replacement, but all turned down the opportunity.

'The Highlight' went on to praise Rafael Fiziev for stepping up on less than two weeks' notice to take the fight at UFC 313:

"Arman [Tsarukyan] and Charles [Oliveira] understandably said no. Max [Holloway] and Dustin [Poirier] understandably said no. [Renato] Moicano got the call and said no. Props to Fiziev for volunteering to fly across the world and take this fight. Big risk here for me taking this rematch against an elite striker."

Fiziev responded with the same level of respect and promised to deliver an action-packed showdown for the fans:

"Nothing but respect. Let’s put on a show."

Check out the exchange between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev below:

Gaethje and Fiziev previously squared off at UFC 286 in March 2023, where 'The Highlight' secured a majority decision victory after a hard-fought fight.