Gaethje Beats Fiziev After Hooker Withdrew
Justin Gaethje’s planned return after his knockout loss to Max Holloway was initially set against Dan Hooker on March 8, 2025. Hooker withdrew with an injury, and Rafael Fiziev stepped in to face Gaethje on short notice. Gaethje won their rematch by unanimous decision, 29–28 on all three judges’ scorecards, getting back into the win column after the Holloway defeat. The original prediction was overtaken by a different opponent and a completed result.
Gaethje’s next major milestone came on Jan. 24, 2026, when he defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision to claim the interim lightweight title. That set up a championship unification bout against Ilia Topuria on June 14. Gaethje won by corner stoppage at 5:00 of Round 4, becoming the undisputed lightweight champion and handing Topuria his first professional loss.
Topuria threatened to take control in the second round, but Gaethje rallied and built momentum over the next two rounds. After the fourth, Topuria did not continue and his corner stopped the fight. The official result records the finish as a technical knockout by corner stoppage.
The original YouTube player is no longer available. A relevant follow-up is Gaethje’s official post-fight interview after the title win.
Sources: official matchup change; March 2025 results; January 2026 title result; June 2026 championship result.
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Tags: MMA
