Justin Gaethje plans on returning to violent WSOF ways at UFC 313

Justin Gaethje vows to bring back “The Highlight” of old at UFC 313.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) runs things back with Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).

Although nobody can doubt Gaethje’s aggressiveness and entertainment as a fighter, he seems to think his recent wins over Michael Chandler at UFC 268 and Fiziev at UFC 286 saw him implement a more reserved approach.

“I don’t think it’s very different,” Gaethje told CBS Sports on fighting Fiziev a second time. “I think he’s got some of the best striking skills, and he’s one of the most dynamic strikers in the UFC at this weight class. I think it’s going to be very similar. I think I’ve got to really control his feet and control the pace and trust in my cardio. I’ve been working so hard, and my confidence in my ability to sprint for 15 minutes is going to be a huge factor here.

“I think I fell into a tendency to not move forward as much as I should in this sport, and if you look at the champions, they’re moving forward 70 to 80 percent of the time, and I think that has to be implemented if you want to be successful in the sport. With Chandler and Fiziev, I kind of found success with being safer, and ultimately that’s not the answer.”

Gaethje, who will look to rebound from his knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300, thinks he had his better moments against Holloway when he was being the aggressor.

“If you watched the World Series of Fighting Gaethje, that’s who you’re going to see, but just more refined,” Gaethje said. “I obviously have much better skills than I did in those days, and that’s that’s my mindset.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.