That’s what played out Saturday night as Gaethje defeated Fiziev in their hastily booked rematch, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 from all three judges. The lightweight bout was the UFC 313 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The loss served as instant redemption for the 36-year-old Gaethje, a former interim champion at 155 pounds, who was knocked out cold in the final seconds of his last fight against Max Holloway in their ceremonial BMF title clash at UFC 300 in April 2024.

Top lightweights Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev met in a short-notice fight in the co-main event of UFC 313. Headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev, UFC 313 was also originally supposed to feature a matchup between Gaethje and #6-ranked lightweight contender Dan Hooker.