A lightweight clash pitting Justin
Gaethje against Rafael
Fiziev has been targeted for UFC
286.
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Promotion broadcast partner
ESPN reported on Saturday that the bout has nearly been
finalized. UFC 286 takes place at the O2 Arena in London on March
18. A headliner for the event has not been confirmed, but it is
rumored to be a welterweight championship trilogy between Leon
Edwards and Kamaru
Usman.
Gaethje will be making his first appearance since suffering a
first-round submission loss to Charles
Oliveira in a 155-pound title tilt at UFC 274 last May. The
former World Series of Fighting champ is 6-4 in the Las Vegas-based
promotion, with victories over the likes of Michael
Chandler, Tony
Ferguson, Donald
Cerrone and Edson
Barboza.
The 29-year-old Fiziev has compiled a six-bout Octagon winning
streak to establish himself as one of the rising contenders in the
lightweight division. Most recently, the Tiger Muay Thai standout
scored a fifth-round KO victory over Rafael dos
Anjos at UFC ON ESPN 39 in July.