Final · 8 Mar 2025

Justin Gaethje defeats Rafael Fiziev by Decision (unanimous)

Win The Highlight Justin Gaethje 27-5-0

UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev

8 Mar 2025 · T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, US

Decision (unanimous)

Round 3 · 5:00

View fight recap
Loss Ataman Rafael Fiziev 12-5-0

Gaethje vs Fiziev — Lightweight Bout · UFC 313

What happened

The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.

Fiziev's early stance switches and Muay Thai kicks kept the opening competitive after he stepped in on short notice.

Gaethje's pressure, a second-round knockdown and a key uppercut changed the momentum.

Fiziev started the third sharply, but Gaethje's pressure and heavy shots carried him through the finish.

Watch

The full fight.

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More videos · 2 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments

Analysts

No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.

Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.

Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
Gaethje vs Fiziev
Gaethje Fiziev
  1. OutputSig. strikes landed / min 6.29 4.71
  2. Striking def.Striking defense 50% 50%
  3. DurabilitySig. strikes absorbed / min 6.83 4.81
  4. Takedown def.Takedown defense 73% 90%
  5. FinishingFinish rate 78% 64%
26-5-0
Record
12-4-0
4-1 last 5
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
2-3 last 5
37
Age
33
1.80 m
Height — Gaethje leads
1.73 m
178 cm
Reach — Fiziev leads
180 cm
Orthodox
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
Switch
78%
Finish rateFinish % — Gaethje leadsFinish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
64%
21
Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins — Gaethje leads
9
1
Wins by submissionSub wins
1
6.29
Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / min — Gaethje leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
4.71
6.83
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / min — Fiziev leadsSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
4.81
50%
Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
50%
73%
Takedown defenseTD def. — Fiziev leadsTakedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
90%
12:09
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
11:32
USA
Nationality
Azerbaijan
Elevation Fight Team · Denver
Team
Tiger Muay Thai · Phuket

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in

Case for Gaethje

Gaethje entered the rematch with the deeper five-round experience, the heavier late-fight optics and a proven ability to win exchanges even when absorbing damage. His path was to survive Fiziev’s early speed, build behind pressure and turn the final two rounds into a durability test.

Case for Fiziev

Fiziev remained the cleaner technician in tight spaces, with knees, kicks and fast counters that could punish Gaethje’s forward march. Taking the fight on short notice made efficiency critical: bank early rounds, damage the legs and keep Gaethje from snowballing late.

What We Were Watching For

  • Whether Fiziev’s early speed could bank enough offense before Gaethje adjusted.
  • Gaethje’s right hand as the fight settled into repeated pocket exchanges.
  • Short-notice conditioning for Fiziev against Gaethje’s late pressure.

Fighters

Justin Gaethje
26-5-0 · Lightweight · The Highlight
View profile →
Rafael Fiziev
12-4-0 · Lightweight · Ataman
View profile →

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Independent fan-made fight recap. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the UFC or any other MMA promotion. Analysis is editorial opinion, not betting advice. Fighter names and records are used for commentary. Image credits · Privacy · Terms.