Michael Bisping thinks Justin Gaethje will have a clear path to victory at UFC 286, but he isn’t certain that “The Highlight” will make things easy on himself.
UFC 286 is set to take place in London on March 18, and up until recently the event still lacked a headlining fight. That changed when it was finally confirmed that Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight title in a trilogy bout with Kamaru Usman, and the card received an additional boost when a matchup between Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev was tabbed as the co-main event.
Gaethje last entered the cage when he challenged Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title last May and was submitted in the first round. The 34-year-old has a well-deserved reputation as arguably the most exciting fighter in the sport and has been a bonus-winning machine since joining the UFC in 2017.
“The Highlight” will have a tall task ahead of him when he faces the #6-ranked Fiziev at UFC 286, and Bisping recently discussed the details of the matchup with Anthony Smith on their podcast Believe You Me.
“I think that this needs to be the fight where we get to see some of Justin’s wrestling,” Bisping said. “Because Fiziev – I’m not saying that Justin can’t beat him on the feet, I’m not saying it would be foolhardy for him to fight him toe to toe. But he is such an accredited wrestler, it would be foolish not to sprinkle in some takedowns.”
“I Would Like To See Him Be Tactical”
Fiziev is riding a six-fight win streak that includes knocking out former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in his last fight, which was the 29-year-old’s second-straight finish and third overall during his current run.
Gaethje has proven throughout his career that he’s not one to back down from a challenge, which is a trait that’s earned him plenty of favor with fans but is also something that Bisping feels might put him in danger against “Ataman”.
“We love Gaethje, we love the way he fights. We love the excitement he brings to the table, and part of that is because he does throw caution to the wind and says ‘Let’s just have a row, let’s go for it.’ But this time I would like to see him be tactical. But, it comes down to it, will – and I don’t know if I’m phrasing this the correct way – but will his ego allow that? Because I think when it comes to us as fighters, we’re like ‘No, I’m gonna stand and I’m gonna beat you at your own game.’ And that’s our ego talking, you know what I mean? If you put that in check, you think ‘Well, the easiest way to beat this guy is to use some of the years and years and years of wrestling that I studied in high school and college.’ Because he’s a Thai boxer. Sure, I’m sure he knows how to stop some takedowns and get back to his feet, but he’s not half the wrestler that Justin Gaethje is.”
“The Highlight” is currently ranked #3 in the UFC’s lightweight division but is 1-2 dating back to October 2020. Both of those losses came in fights where the 34-year-old challenged for the lightweight title, which will be up for grabs at UFC 284 when Islam Makhachev makes his first title defense in a champion-versus-champion matchup with Alexander Volkanovski.
What do you think of Bisping’s comments on whether or not Gaethje will use his wrestling againts Fiziev at UFC 286?