Justin Gaethje is fighting at UFC 313 after all.
UFC announced Wednesday that the former BMF champion Gaethje is set to remain on the March 8 card in a lightweight co-headlining rematch against late-replacement Rafael Fiziev. Gaethje’s original opponent Dan Hooker was forced to withdraw from the bout with a broken hand earlier this this week.
Gaethje (25-5) and Fiziev (12-3) first met in the co-main event of UFC 286 in 2023, earning Fight of the Night honors for a back-and-forth battle that Gaethje won via majority decision.
Gaethje has fought twice since then, going 1-1 with a win over Dustin Poirier and a loss to Max Holloway, while Fiziev fought just once more, tearing his ACL in a 2023 loss to Mateusz Gamrot. Fiziev has been sidelined since suffering the injury.
UFC 313 takes place at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
The marquee rematch wasn’t the only fight announced Wednesday. UFC Kansas City on April 26 has its headliner, as former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill (12-3, 1 NC) faces hard-hitting contender Khalil Rountree (13-6, 1 NC) at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The duo was previously set to collide at UFC 303 in June 2024 before Rountree was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
Additionally, a featherweight matchup between Jean Silva (15-2) and Bryce Mitchell (17-2) has been added to UFC 314.
Featherweight standout Silva called his shot after his first-round knockout of Melsik Baghdasaryan at UFC Seattle this past Saturday, demanding to fight Mitchell following the American’s disgusting pro-Hitler comments. Now he gets his wish, as both men return on the April 13 card at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
An updated UFC 313 lineup can be seen below.
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Light Heavyweight Championship: (C) Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev
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Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
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Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
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Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
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King Green vs. Maurício Ruffy
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Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
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Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
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Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
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Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal
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Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
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Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos vs. Osman Diaz
