Arnold Allen weighs in on Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev matchup
Arnold Allen has shared his thoughts on the expected war between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, as the high-octane lightweights are set to collide later this year at UFC 286.
After almost eight years in the company, 'Almighty' is finally getting his flowers from the UFC following his win over Calvin Kattar in October last year. Having never lost since joining the promotion, the Brit finds himself within touching distance of a title shot and will be hoping to fight for gold sometime in 2023.
Like most of the sports fanbase, Arnold Allen is excited to see Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev collide in the octagon, and although he's uncertain about who's going to get their hand raised, he did offer some praise for both men:
"The co-main event [for UFC 286] got announced, [it's a] really good fight. Fiziev is fighting Justin Gaethje. You've got one highly technical, obviously powerful striker in Fiziev, and you've got an absolute dog of a fighter in Gaethje who's just gonna close his eyes and throw big punches... It's almost like Skill vs. Will."
Breaking down the matchup further, Allen stated:
"Fiziev's got all the technique, all the flashy skills, all the good skills, and then you've got Gaethje on the other side, who's just a bit of a monster. He's gonna keep coming forward, he's gonna make it an absolute dog fight. I'm interested to see who wins it."
Earning an impressive win over Gaethje could propel Fiziev to title contention, as he would then have added a former interim champion to his current six-fight win streak.
Check out what Arnold Allen had to say about the highly-entertaining lightweight clash in the video below:
What does a win against Rafael Fiziev do for Justin Gaethje?
Having been a mainstay at the top end of the lightweight division since joining the UFC back in 2017, Justin Gaethje can once again assert his presence with a win on March 18.
After suffering back-to-back losses to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier in 2017-18, 'The Highlight' changed the way he approaches fights and benefitted massively from it.
Since the two losses, Gaethje has only ever suffered defeat in title fights and has scored huge wins over Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, and Edson Barboza. Another victory at UFC 286 would cement him as a serious threat to the 155lb throne.