Rafael Fiziev won’t be too bothered if beating Justin Gaethje doesn’t grant him a title shot.
Fiziev (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will look to make it seven straight when he takes on Gaethje (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the UFC 286 co-main event at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
While Fiziev thinks an impressive win over Gaethje should be enough for a shot at gold, he views Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush at UFC 288 as the No. 1 contender bout – especially if Dariush is victorious.
“I want to see how I beat him,” Fiziev told Submission Radio. “If I beat him perfect, nice, everybody likes it, and we make hype, I want to fight for the belt.
“Really, I don’t give a sh*t about it. If I beat Gaethje, I’m in a good position. If Oliveira wins, he goes and fights for the title – he deserves it. Dariush deserves it 150 percent. And if he wins that, I don’t want to stay on his road, because he really deserves it. I can wait. If they give me a fight after Justin, if I make a good fight, if they give me the title shot, I’m happy. If they give it to another guy, I’m also happy because I’m still in a good position.”
Fiziev’s six-fight winning streak includes back-to-back knockouts of Brad Riddell and former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. He’s happy to take on another notable name in Gaethje, and plans on having a flawless performance against the former interim champion.
“I want to play with him,” Fiziev said. “I want to play with him. I want to show him. I want to do a masterclass. This is what I want to show. I want to show him a masterclass. What is the real highlight? I want to show him.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
