UFC 313 faced a setback with Dan Hooker withdrawing from his match against Justin Gaethje due to injury. In his place, Rafael Fiziev was selected to compete against Gaethje, setting the stage for a rematch from their previous encounter at UFC 286. Multiple fighters including Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway were approached for the fight but declined for various reasons. Notably, Oliveira's team disputed Gaethje's claims about negotiations, clarifying the UFC's decision-making process and Oliveira's focus on title opportunities instead.
'Sometimes what we want is not what UFC wants.' - Diego Lima discussed the differences between fighters' availability and UFC's decision-making, emphasizing the complexity of fight negotiations.
'I never negotiated Charles to fight Gaethje in UFC 313,' Lima flatly stated, disputing Gaethje's claim that Oliveira was offered the fight.
Gaethje expressed that several fighters declined the opportunity to face him, including Tsarukyan, Oliveira, Holloway, and Poirier, highlighting a challenging matchmaking situation.
In a rematch dating back to UFC 286, Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev will face off again, marking a significant event on the UFC calendar.
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