Justin Gaethje plans to implement a regression in his fighting style at UFC 313, and Paul Felder loves the idea.
After suffering a Knockout of the Year loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 last April, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) returns to competition on Saturday in a co-main event rematch with Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).
The biggest question mark around Gaethje coming into the event is how the loss to Holloway could impact him not just physically and in terms of durability, but mentally, as well.
All signs have been positive so far, with Gaethje claiming the knockout won’t lead to any hesitation in the cage. In fact, Gaethje said he wants to revert back to how he fought in the now-defunct WSOF promotion when he was undefeated and turning heads with his fearless approach.
As Gaethje moved to UFC, suffered his first career losses and was forced to rebuild, he somewhat refined his style. It led him to an interim UFC title, a BMF title and a fight for the undisputed belt. Now it’s apparently time to make another change, and UFC commentator Felder fully endorses it.
“I heard Justin talking about how he kind of wants to go back to being a little bit more reckless and a little bit more crazy,” Felder told MMA Junkie. “I think (that’s a good idea). I think Justin’s a guy where he thrives in the chaos, he thrives in just the mayhem of a fight, and I think he’s gotten a little bit more technical. And in that first fight with Fiziev, I think he was trying to be a little technical. I think if he goes out there and makes it a little more violent – because I do think that Fiziev is probably slightly more a technician when it comes to his kickboxing skills.
“I think with a guy like that you have to be a little crazy and a little violent in there. That’s what we all want to see from Justin. He’s never been shy from saying, ‘I’m here for a good time, I’m not here for a long time.’ And he’s that kind of guy. I think if he wants to bring the true violence that he’s capable of, I think that’s the approach. I do think Justin will get it done again, but I do love Fiziev.”
Props to Gaethje for accepting short-notice rematch
Gaethje’s comeback fight at UFC 313 was originally booked against Hooker, who withdrew less than two weeks out due to injury. Fiziev stepped in and will attempt to avenge his majority decision loss to Gaethje in their first meeting at UFC 286 in March 2023.
Felder applauds both fighters for accepting the rematch under these conditions, but he doesn’t think there will be any negative impact when they step in the octagon.
“I love Fiziev being the guy that got chosen for this,” Felder said. “I had been hearing that about Fiziev, that he had been saying, ‘I want to fight.’ Obviously that means you’re training – you’d at least hope so. I think he’s fit, I think he’s ready to go in there, and I love Justin Gaethje for also being able to take this. This is a guy you’ve already beaten in a very hard fight, and this was a big opportunity for you to fight another big, ranked guy in Dan Hooker who has been surging again and people just had so much hype on the violence that was going to be created with this fight. Then when that gets taken away from you, it can be a real buzz kill. And it can be hard to get motivated for a switch like that.
“I think s lot more credit needs to be given to Justin Gaethje for being a gangster and going in there and taking this, and obviously credit to Fiziev for being willing to step in there with a maniac like Gaethje, who you’ve already been in there with and shared the cage with and you know what he brings to the table.”
To hear more from Felder, check out his complete his appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.
