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Justin Gaethje has a strong claim at being the most entertaining fighter in the sport as he puts everything on the line and comes to bang each fight, but Michael Bisping believes he should take a different approach at UFC 286.
'The Highlight' is any promoter's dream as no matter who he is matched up against, he always seems to provide a must-see spectacle and memorable moments. His most recent outing saw the brawler lose to Charles Oliveira in what could be considered one of the greatest first rounds in the history of the UFC.
As he previewed Saturday's co-main event, Michael Bisping insisted that, despite being a fantastic striker, Justin Gaethje could find success if he implements a wrestling game against the much less experienced grappler in Rafael Fiziev.
"Co-main event, Justin Gaethje versus Rafael Fiziev. What a fight that's gonna be. Justin Gaethje said this week, 'I am the most exciting fighter in the UFC.' And he probably is... The story this week with Justin is: Is he going to wrestle? He's a tremendous wrestler, he's got all kinds of accolades and awards and trophies and medals at home, but he never uses it in his fights and that's what makes him so exciting... Rafael Fiziev is a ridiculously good striker, so this might be the fight where we see Justin pull out the wrestling."
We have seen glimpses of Gaethje's wrestling in the octagon, but it has almost always been defensively, as he does well stuffing takedown attempts and keeping the fight on the feet.
Check out what Michael Bisping had to say about a possible path to victory during the lightweight clash in the video below:
Justin Gaethje's wrestling background: Could his grappling benefit him against Rafael Fiziev?
Despite never showcasing it, Justin Gaethje has some high-level wrestling dating back to his college days as a respected NCAA Division I All-American wrestler.
Although his NCAA championship record stands at 6-6, the 34-year-old is far more well-versed in the martial art than his opponent Rafael Fiziev is, which could play a huge part in their UFC title eliminator bout this weekend.
As seen in his Rafael dos Anjos fight, 'Ataman' is capable of being controlled in the clinch and taken down, something where Gaethje has a strong advantage even if he's unlikely to use it.
