Justin Gaethje gets new UFC 313 opponent as Rafael Fiziev steps in for rematch
February 26, 2025 8:16 pm ET
Rafael Fiziev has raised his hand and now heâll run it back with Justin Gaethje.
With Dan Hooker out due to injury, Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) steps in to fight Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) on less than two weeks notice at UFC 313 on March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Wednesday.
Gaethje and Fiziev first met at UFC 286 in March 2023. The Fight of the Night award-winning bout ended in a majority decision win for Gaethje.
Since then, Gaethje has gone 1-1 with a knockout win over Dustin Poirier and a knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April. Both were âBMFâ title fights.
Fiziev has only competed once since the initial showdown. In September 2023, he lost to Mateusz Gamrot when he suffered a torn ACL mid-fight. Fiziev had surgery shortly thereafter and has been mounting a comeback ever since.
With the addition, the UFC 313 lineup includes:
Champion Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev â for light heavyweight title
Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Iasmin Lucindo vs. Amanda Lemos
Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy
Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
Ozzy Diaz vs. Djorden Santos
Carlos Leal vs. Alex Morono
Francis Marshall vs. Mairon Santos
Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van
Chris Gutierrez vs. TBA
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieâs event hub for UFC 313.
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