Justin Gaethje is one step closer to claiming the lightweight belt, as his victory against Rafael Fiziev might be the key to securing a shot at Islam Makhachev. Following his defeat against Max Holloway last year, Gaethje not only lost his ‘BMF’ title but also missed his chance to face Makhachev. However, it appears the scars of 2024 may be healed in 2025. Interestingly, a bizarre incident involving his gloves occurred at UFC 313, and Rafael Dos Anjos seems quite curious about it.
During the fight, the MMA community witnessed a rather uncommon scene, Justin Gaethje’s gloves didn’t have the UFC mark on them. Quite strange? Well, former lightweight champion, Rafael Dos Anjos also found it a bit concerning as well. Sharing the screenshot of the fight on his Instagram, Dos Anjos cautioned it, “What a fight between these two!! I noticed that Gaethje’s gloves didn’t have the UFC logo on it and I was wondering why. Did anyone else notice it?
When a fan emphasized that the UFC censored Trevor Wittman’s brand during Countdown and embedded, and Gaethje is taking a bit of revenge due to it. Responding to the fan’s concern, Dos Anjos emphasized, “I don’t think that’s too smart.” For the unreserved, Trevor Wittman, Aka Justin Gaethje’s coach has one of the most efficient gloves design that completely solves the problem of eye pokes.
Many individuals, including Joe Rogan, have voiced for the gloves to be introduced to the MMA world, but it appears that the UFC had other plans. While having a conversation with Sean Brady at ‘JRE MMA Show #152,’ Rogan explained that the UFC did have some talks with Wittman but it never materialized, “I don’t know how it went wrong, but the UFC was talking to Trevor about, about his MMA gloves.” Rogan said. “He has absolutely superior MMA gloves. They’re the best. Yeah, no one even comes close. And when you make a fist with those, it actually encourages a closed fist.”
Well, what was the actual reason behind the controversial gloves at UFC 313? When asked about the incident, the former ‘BMF’ belt holder emphasized that the UFC mark came off moments ahead of the fight, and he didn’t want to change gloves, “Yeah, they started coming off in the back. So, they wanted to make sure some of the flakes weren’t going in my eyes or his eyes, so, they took them off with tape. They wanted me to change them and I was like ‘Hell no!’ I had them on. I had them even broken in. ‘There’s no way I’m switching to fresh gloves.’”
There was nothing wrong with the gloves other than the fact that the UFC logo was missing. So, was this Justin Gaethje’s way of protesting? Maybe not, but one thing is certain and that’s the fact that the fighter is looking to fight for the title.
Justin Gaethje sets his eyes on lightweight gold
Justin Gaethje demands only one fight—a shot at the title. It has been a long three years since the former ‘BMF’ titleholder last fought for the championship against Khabib Nurmagomedov, and according to him, it’s time for another opportunity. After dominating Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, ‘The Highlight’ called out to the UFC management to test him against Islam Makhachev, “I am no.3 in the world, the most exciting guy that’s ever stepped in there, and I don’t have a choice. It’s all on the UFC. We’ll see what they want,” said Gaethje at the Octagonal interview.
He further added, “I’m gonna have to get my jiu-jitsu coach out here. It’s really just confidence. He’s a tough matchup for me. He’s so good, he’s so strong. And I have to have a perfect night if I want to beat him,” With victory behind his back, Justin Gaethje is just one step closer to the title, but what are the thoughts of UFC CEO Dana White?
When asked about Justin Gaethje fighting for the title, the UFC CEO stated, “I mean, what’s he ranked right now? Fourth or something, right? Third. There you go, he’s still the number three ranked guy in the world so the odds of him getting the title shot are pretty good.” ‘The Highlight’ has a chance to reclaim the title but will he be able to get past Islam Makhachev? State your thoughts in the comments below.
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