Before making his UFC debut in 2019, Fiziev watched and became inspired by Gaethje’s performances and the way he puts himself in harm’s way just to fire back with vicious intentions. But that was before Fiziev ever thought he’d clash with Gaethje on the biggest stage.
In the co-main event at UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman 3 on Saturday, Fiziev is forced to put his admiration aside for 15 minutes or less to continue on his path towards becoming the UFC lightweight champion.
“All my fights are important for me, but this fight, I’m very close now for the title,” Fiziev said. “Of course, it’s important for me to make a beautiful fight and win, but I don’t know how to explain it. This is a big challenge and dream fight for me because I watched his debut fight in the UFC and I watched all his career, all his fights in the UFC…I can’t say that I’m his fan, but I like his style. All his career I’ve watched him and now I fight him. What can be better?
“He loves to fight. He fights with his heart. He loves to make blood, smash his opponent going forward with hard punches. That’s what I like also doing in a fight. When two people like that go into the cage, there’s always some fireworks, some highlight. Now I’m happy. I don’t need to care about bonuses because I know my opponent [feels] the same.”
