Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 | Preview & Prediction

Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!

After Dan Hooker unfortunately had to withdraw through injury, it is Rafael Fiziev who steps up to face a serious battle against the ever-tough Justin Gaethje at UFC 313

Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev Facts

When is UFC 313? UK – the extra preliminary card starts at 12:00am on Sunday 9th March 2025, followed by the preliminary card at 1:00am and the main card at 3:00am / USA – 7:00pm/8:00pm/10:00pm ET (Saturday) and 4:00pm/5:00pm/7:00pm PT (Saturday)

Where is UFC 313? T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC 313? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 313

What TV channel is UFC 313 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+

Where can I stream UFC 313? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass

For viewers in the United States, UFC 313 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!

What time are Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev expected to walk out? 4:45am UK / Saturday 8th March, 11:45pm US ET / 8:45pm US PT

UFC 313 Main Card

Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev (Light Heavyweight)

Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev (Lightweight)

Jalin Turner vs Ignacio Bahamondes (Lightweight)

Amanda Lemos vs Iasmin Lucindo (Women’s Strawweight)

King Green vs Mauricio Ruffy (Lightweight)

UFC 313 Prelims

Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev (Heavyweight)

Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya (Flyweight)

Brunno Ferreira vs Armen Petrosyan (Middleweight)

Alex Morono vs Carlos Leal (Welterweight)

Mairon Santos vs Francis Marshall (Featherweight)

Chris Gutierrez vs John Castaneda (Bantamweight)

Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos vs Osman Diaz (Middleweight)

Justin Gaethje: Vet fighting for legacy at UFC 313

Justin Gaethje (25-5) was slated to face Dan Hooker here in what was more of a legacy fight than anything else but now he faces a rematch with Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. Gaethje never struggles for motivation and he will be determined to put on a show in front of a sold-out T-Mobile Arena. He comes off a knockout loss at the hands of Max Holloway at UFC 300 almost a year ago but he returns to action to now face Rafael Fiziev which is a very different match-up to what it would have been against Hooker. He knows what he will face however as he has already beaten Fiziev once by decision at UFC 286 two years ago.

Rafael Fiziev: Azeri star determined to avenge loss at short notice

Rafael Fiziev (12-3) has stepped up for this bout at just two weeks’ notice following the withdrawal of Dan Hooker through injury and he will look to avenge his loss to Gaethje from a couple of years ago. After that loss, he faced Mateusz Gamrot in September 2023 and suffered a torn ACL to lose the bout by a technical TKO and was forced to have surgery. That was the last time he fought and now he returns some 18 months later to take advantage of this golden opportunity presented to him.

Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev Prediction

There has never been a boring fight involving Justin Gaethje and it is unlikely that this one will be any different. The initial bout against Dan Hooker was going to be an absolute barnstormer but with Rafael Fiziev stepping in, it will be interesting to see if the Azeri fighter engages with Gaethje or looks too uses wrestling right from the start.

There are number of factors against Fiziev coming into this fight at UFC 313. He is not fought in 18 months due to knee surgery and after accepting this fight with just two weeks’ notice, he has hardly had much of a training camp.

Considering the fact he has already lost a fight against Gaethje, it will be some feat for Fiziev if he is able to avenge that loss in these circumstances.

Gaethje has been preparing for something of a brawl with Hooker and stylistically that is unlikely to happen against his replacement Fiziev. He too will have to adjust his plan for this fight.

Only four of his thirty professional MMA fights have gone the distance and one of those came against Fiziev. We expect a very similar fight to the first one but it is possible that Fiziev relies on his wrestling even more so and tries to make this more boring fight than Gaethje would like especially with this just being a three-rounder. We like the value that exists on this fight going the distance while we have to have a marginal preference for Gaethje to win.

Prediction: Fight to go the distance