"He ran away from me for two rounds” - Rafael Fiziev says he gave Justin Gaethje his toughest fight, points to “eye poke” as reason for his defeat
Last year, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev went to war at UFC 286 in London, England, in a Fight of the Night winner
'The Highlight' secured a majority decision win over Fiziev, snapping his six-fight win streak in the process.
During a recent interview, 'Ataman' shared his thoughts on the clash, believing that he gave Gaethje his most difficult fight to date. The Muay Thai specialist also pointed to an apparent eye poke as the main reason for his defeat.
The No.8 ranked lightweight contender was recently interviewed by The AllStar, during which he was asked to share his thoughts about Gaethje's upcoming clash with Max Holloway, set for UFC 300.
He said this:
"If he has a perfect fight against Holloway, and out-classes him or knocks him out, bro. Who gave [Gaethje] a good fight, you know? He ran away from me for two rounds. He ran away! He only started to beat me after the eye poke, because my eye couldn't see. [There was] a big white circle on my right eye all fight... I didn't see anything with my right eye. He only fought well after the eye poke, and round three when I started getting tired. But he ran away..."
Listen to Rafael Fiziev recount his loss to Justin Gaethje below from 13:25:
Justin Gaethje previews UFC 300 clash with "durable" Max Holloway
Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway are set to clash at UFC 300 in April. The pair will do battle for the BMF title, which 'The Highlight' won after knocking out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.
Gaethje is known for his knockout power, and his moniker is aptly applied, with 20 out of his 25 career wins coming via KO/TKO. Whilst 'The Highlight' may have show-stopping power for a lightweight, Holloway has one of the most durable chins in the history of MMA.
'Blessed' has yet to be knocked down in his MMA career, let alone knocked out.
Ahead of their much-anticipated clash, the BMF titleholder previewed his opponent's legendary chin, telling ESPN:
"It's his ability to see a punch first and being in a semi-relaxed state whilst those strikes are landing and seeing them coming and rolling with them...The amount of experience he's had in that cage allows him to be comfortable. If you're scared, you're gonna hesitate and get knocked out."
Listen to Justin Gaethje's comments below from 8:00: