UFC fighter Rafael Fiziev has admitted that the crowd may have influenced him in his first fight against Justin Gaethje.
As we know, Rafael Fiziev will battle it out with Justin Gaethje tonight in the co-main event of UFC 313. If he wins, there’s an excellent chance that he’ll be on the verge of receiving a UFC lightweight championship shot against Islam Makhachev.
With that being said, there are a lot of hurdles for him to get through. While Rafael Fiziev is tough, Gaethje is as tough as they come – as he proved by defeating Rafael during their first meeting.
In a recent media scrum, Rafael Fiziev looked back at that encounter.
Rafael Fiziev looks back at first Justin Gaethje fight
“I think I learned from the first fight I don’t have to follow emotions. I don’t have to follow my character,” Fiziev told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “Sometimes you have to forget about your character and stay cold, follow game plan.”
“It’s my decision. It’s my decisions during the fight because, like I said, I followed my emotions,” Fiziev added. “I heard the arena. I heard how people were screaming when we had some action.
“I heard my corners. They were saying, ‘Hey, move, step back – no need to go forward much,’ but inside I’m thinking, ‘No guys, look: The arena is going crazy, it’s a bonus and I want the arena screaming more.’ That’s what I was thinking in the fight.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
Regardless of who you’re backing for this one, there’s no denying that Rafael Fiziev and Justin Gaethje will put on a real show in Las Vegas. Hopefully, it comes close to their first fight – and perhaps even exceeds it. Either way, we’re excited to see how it all unfolds.
