Justin Gaethje discusses Rafael Fiziev drowning in his own blood at UFC 286: “I’m happy about that”

Justin Gaethje relishes seeing Rafael Fiziev “drown” in his own blood.

Gaethje and Fiziev shared the Octagon inside the O2 Arena in London, England in the co-main event of UFC 286. “The Highlight” and Fiziev had a three-round barn burner that resulted in “Fight of the Night” bonuses for both men. Ultimately, it was Gaethje who scored the majority decision victory.

Fountain of Blood

During the UFC 286 post-fight press conference, Justin Gaethje talked about taking pleasure in his opponent tasting his own blood (h/t Sherdog.com).

Justin Gaethje was “happy” to see Rafael Fiziev “drowning in his blood” 😰 #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/OvzPV3IKYH

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 19, 2023

“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 he was drowning in his blood. I’m happy about that.”

One Last Run for Justin Gaethje

For Gaethje, one last run at UFC gold is the path to take. “The Highlight” said that while he isn’t flat out thinking about retirement, he did say he won’t be in the fight game for too much longer.

“It’s [retirement] not been in my mind. It’s the fact of the matter, I’m 34 years old,” Gaethje said. “I’m gonna take the fights that I need to take to get to the position that I want to be. There’s countless examples of reasons not to go longer than you should in this sport. I’ll probably refuse to do that.”

Gaethje has been pounding the table, calling himself the most exciting fighting in MMA. With 11 fight night bonuses in 11 appearances, seven of those being “Fight of the Night,” he makes a pretty good argument. Whether or not Gaethje is able to claim UFC gold without the interim tag remains to be seen, but fans will likely be more than happy to see him try.