Justin Gaethje experienced a feeling after his fight with Max Holloway that he hadn’t felt in a long time: fear.
This wasn’t fear of Holloway himself, his opponent for nearly 25 minutes in a “BMF” title fight at UFC 300 in April 2024. But Holloway’s stunning knockout victory in the fight’s final second forced Gaethje to confront the inherent dangers of MMA once again.
Throughout his thrilling 14-year career, Gaethje has often been both the aggressor and the one taking damage, a reputation highlighted by his eight UFC Fight of the Night bonuses. He is set to return to the octagon next Saturday, his first fight since UFC 300, against Rafael Fiziev. Fiziev steps in as a replacement for the injured Dan Hooker, in a rematch of their previous UFC 286 bout which Gaethje won by decision.
Gaethje expresses excitement for this upcoming matchup, partly because Holloway’s knockout served as a stark reminder of his own mortality in the cage.
“Out of my 25 wins, 20 have been knockouts,” Gaethje stated on The Jim Rome Show. “It’s part of the game, and we’ve seen fighters react in different ways to such losses. Look at Alex Pereira, who was brutally knocked out like I was, and yet he’s come back stronger than ever.”
“I’m genuinely excited to feel that fear again. As you get older and more experienced, you sometimes lose that edge, that crucial awareness of the inherent danger. When the danger feels less real, your body might not react as sharply as it needs to in those critical moments. Knowing that this next fight is going to be intense and potentially scary, I anticipate tapping into a primal instinct, feeling the adrenaline surge, and I’m actually looking forward to that. It’s a unique and powerful feeling.”
Interestingly, Gaethje has never lost a fight by decision. His losses consist of three knockouts or technical knockouts and two submissions.
One of those submission losses was against Charles Oliveira at UFC 274 in May 2022. In that fight, Gaethje was competing for the vacant lightweight title (Oliveira missed weight, losing his championship and eligibility to regain it), and the magnitude of the fight weighed heavily on him.
“When was the last time I was scared?” Gaethje pondered. “I’d say it was against Charles Oliveira. Not scared of him as a fighter, but scared of the enormity of the opportunity. It was such a massive fight for the belt, and I desperately wanted to succeed. Sometimes you place too much pressure on yourself. A part of why I do this is to inspire people, and I want to show that I’m not extraordinary. I just have a deep passion for what I do.”
“I’ve dedicated myself to this, worked incredibly hard, and this moment is about choosing to get back up or give in. Giving up has never been an option for me. I’m eager to get back in there and demonstrate that it doesn’t take someone special to achieve this, just unwavering self-belief and hard work.”
Gaethje hasn’t been the most frequent competitor, consistently fighting no more than twice a year since 2014. His aggressive, high-impact fighting style likely contributes to this lower fight frequency, helping to prolong his career.
For Gaethje, the demands of stepping into the octagon are not just physical, but significantly mental, which limits how often he can compete.
“I’ve always been drawn to this sport because of its unpredictable nature – anything can happen at any moment, and I’ve embraced that aspect,” Gaethje explained. “I focus on what I can control, which isn’t much, and accept that I’m engaging in a wild game, and I’m a bit of a wild person for it.”
“The positive side is that I only need to be that intense, crazy person once or twice a year. The rest of the time, I could just relax like a golfer. But this is something special to me. I’ve dedicated my entire life to this, and I’m not going to back down now.”
Despite challenges from other lightweight contenders like Mateusz Gamrot and Renato Moicano, Rafael Fiziev was chosen to face Gaethje, giving him a chance to avenge his previous defeat.
Although some may see little benefit for Gaethje in defeating Fiziev again, he remains confident that continuing his exciting fighting style will keep him in contention for a shot at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
“The opponent doesn’t really matter,” Gaethje stated. “Timing is crucial in this sport. We saw with Dustin Poirier, I beat him, and he immediately fought for the belt afterwards. I believe the timing will work out. If I go out there and secure a finish with the kind of performance I always deliver, I think I’ll be seriously considered to fight Makhachev.”
