A UFC light-weight contender appears to be fuming after being handed over for the chance to sq. off towards Justin Gaethje subsequent.
Gaethje was initially scheduled to face Dan Hooker in a extremely anticipated five-round co-main occasion at UFC 313 on March 8, set for the T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevertheless, in a sudden twist on Tuesday, “The Spotlight” discovered himself with out a dance accomplice after Hooker was compelled to withdraw from the bout as a result of a hand damage.
The UFC’s prime brass allegedly reached out to a number of elite 155-pound contenders, together with Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, and Dustin Poirier, in a bid to discover a last-minute alternative for “The Hangman.” The promotion in the end shifted its focus to Gaethje’s former foe, Rafael Fiziev, who stepped up and accepted the struggle on brief discover.
Mateusz Gamrot, one of many many fighters eagerly campaigning for a shot at Gaethje, is seemingly unimpressed with the UFC’s determination to e book Fiziev for the rematch. Following the struggle announcement, Gamrot took to X to throw shade at Gaethje, calling him out for accepting the bout.
He claimed that the one cause the previous UFC interim light-weight champion agreed to the struggle was as a result of “Ataman” presents a stylistically favorable matchup for him.
“Simpler alternative stylistically. Strikers have at all times feared wrestlers. I maintain in nice form and I’m prepared for anybody!” Gamrot wrote on X.
“The Spotlight” is about to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a hiatus of almost a yr. His final outing noticed him endure a buzzer-beater knockout loss to Max Holloway of their BMF title showdown at UFC 300 this previous April.
In the meantime, Fiziev final stepped into the Octagon in September 2023, headlining a UFC Battle Evening conflict towards “Gamer.” Sadly, his night time was reduce brief after struggling a torn ACL within the second spherical, forcing a TKO defeat.
Gaethje already holds a majority determination victory over Fiziev from their showdown at UFC 286 in March 2023.