Sherdog’s 2023 Round of the Year

Whenever mixed martial arts needs a hellfire and brimstone sermon, Justin Gaethje can usually be found preaching it.

Described by many as the sport’s most savage competitor, the Safford, Arizona, native has spent the last six-plus years spreading his message to the masses through his exploits in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight shark tank. Gaethje often brings his violence in bursts, and when he has a willing dance partner, the results can be truly breathtaking. That was the case in the UFC 286 co-main event, where the former World Series of Fighting champion engaged in Sherdog’s “Round of the Year” with Rafael Fiziev on March 18 at the O2 Arena in London. All 15 minutes were tremendous in terms of pure action, but Round 1 stood out.

Resident Sherdog wordsmith Jay Pettry described the round as it happened:

Fiziev attacks with a body kick immediately, and Gaethje slides out of the way of that one and one to follow. Gaethje runs forward with a vicious low kick, and Fiziev spins all the way around after absorbing it. Gaethje comes up short on a second, and the two are uncharacteristically tentative. Gaethje lets fly with one kick to the body, and Fiziev answers but misses with the same strike. Gaethje’s lone committed strike is a low kick until he swipes out with a left hand as Fiziev rushes towards him, and they both trade heavy punches. Gaethje loads up on punches, Fiziev does the same, and they both hurt one another in a hurry. They reset after a veritable car crash of an exchange, and Gaethje breaks away and eats a flush head kick without flinching. Fiziev punches his way into a combo, and Gaethje ducks away to stop it and busts Fiziev in the chops with a pair of punches. Fiziev rips the body with a hook, and he aims a kick to the ribs and chains a few more punches together before Gaethje can react. Gaethje sits down on a hard leg kick, and he wings booming punches and clubs Fiziev instead of landing cleanly. Fiziev times an uppercut when Gaethje ducks down, and he fires off a body kick. Gaethje races out with a few swinging hooks, grazing off the target but not getting anything flush. Gaethje grabs hold of a single-leg takedown, and he fires off a huge overhand right to follow as Fiziev defends it. Fiziev walks his foe down and smashes him in the face with a jump knee, and he dodges huge punches on the way out before the horn sounds.

Those first five minutes between two of the UFC’s premier lightweights set the tone for what was to come in a clear “Fight of the Year” contender. An even second round gave way to the decisive third. There, Fiziev seemed to have the answers at the start, as he clipped the Trevor Wittman protégé with a clean one-two and unleashed a sharp front kick to the body. Gaethje, however, refused to go away, found another gear and turned the final five minutes into something of a blowout—enough so that he earned a 10-8 on judge Paul Sutherland’s scorecard. He brought his crushing jab into play more and more, paired it with uppercuts that sent spit, blood and snot flying and mixed in a tactical takedown in the closing seconds. Forced to go the distance for just the fourth time in his career, Gaethje exited the cage with a majority decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28) and yet another $50,000 bonus for “Fight of the Night.” Meanwhile, Fiziev’s face bore the brunt of abuse from the 103 significant strikes he absorbed. The Kill Cliff Fight Club export was a bloody mess—the latest masterwork in Gaethje’s very own Louvre.

“My coach told me… I heard him saying, ‘Stay on the jab.’ Once I landed the first three, I couldn’t believe how clean I was landing,” Gaethje said. “There’s different kind of shots that you land in there. When you feel the full force of energy go in direct lines through their head, it’s a different shot. That’s what I was feeling. He wanted to taste my blood, but unfortunately [for him], he was drowning in his blood. I’m happy about that.”