Justin Gaethje promises return to violent roots in Rafael Fiziev rematch

UFC star Justin Gaethje has promised a return to his violent roots in his rematch with Rafael Fiziev this weekend.

As we know, Justin Gaethje will battle it out with Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. It will serve as a rematch from their battle at UFC 286, when Justin was able to get his hand raised in what proved to be a really competitive encounter.

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Now, Gaethje will have to try and do it all over again. He’s certainly altered his style over the years, with many wondering whether or not he’ll return to a more care-free style.

If the man himself is to be believed, Gaethje may well tap into that on Saturday night.

Gaethje looks ahead to Fiziev rematch

“I don’t think it’s very different,” Gaethje told Shak MMA of the opponent switch. “I think [Fiziev]’s got some of the best striking skills, and he’s one of the most dynamic strikers in the UFC at this weight class, I think it’s gonna be very similar, I think I gotta really control his feet and control the pace and trust in my cardio. I’ve been working so hard, and my confidence in my ability to sprint for fifteen minutes is gonna be a huge factor here.”

“I think I fell into a tendency to not move forward as much as I should in this sport,” he said. “And if you look at the champions, they’re moving forward 80% of the time, and I think that has to be implemented if you wanna be successful in the sport. And I think with Chandler and Fiziev, I kind of found success with being safer, but ultimately, that’s not the answer.”

“If you watch the World Series of Fighting Gaethje, yeah, that’s who you’re going to see,” he declared. “But just more refined. You know, I obviously have much better skills than I did in those days. And that’s that’s my mindset.”

Quotes via MMA Mania