UFC 313 brought plenty of excitement, but something unusual caught fans’ attention during Justin Gaethje’s fight against Rafael Fiziev. Sharp-eyed viewers noticed that ‘The Highlight’s’ gloves seemed to be missing the UFC logo. This is all it took to spark speculation about whether it was an intentional choice. However, the reality of the situation is quite different—those gloves were indeed official UFC gear. Reports suggest that Justin Gaethje initially had the UFC logo on his gloves, but it was accidentally rubbed off after they were taped up. By the time the issue was noticed, Gaethje was already prepared to make his walk to the Octagon.

Rather than switching to a fresh pair, the former interim champion opted to stick with the gloves he was already wearing. The former BMF title holder cleared the air surrounding the claims at the post-fight press conference. He said, “Yeah, they started coming off in the back. So, they wanted to make sure some of the flakes weren’t going in my eyes or his eyes, so, they took them off with tape,”.

Now former UFC dual-champion Daniel Cormier also took time to share his honest opinion on the whole. ‘DC’ and Chael Sonnen took to their Good Guy/ Bad Guy podcast to discuss the situation. The gloves didn’t seem defective at all. But the only concern was about the logo, which got rubbed off. According to Sonnen, this is what prompted fans to believe that there was something wrong.

While speaking to ‘DC’, Sonnen said, “This is the rumor on the internet that he had the gloves from the Ultimate fighter.” However, the former dual-champion was quick to put an end to all such claims and said, “People are so stupid. That’s one theory—The Ultimate Fighter gloves.” According to Cormier, the gloves were pretty much the same, but the only difference was that there was no logo on them. The other theory was that the gloves were of Trevor Whitman’s company ONX and that the logo was scrubbed off. ‘DC’ further added, “Even I am like, ‘Guys do you understand that he [Whitman] just said they took UFC off the glove?’ It’s the same gloves right? People are just crazy on the internet, like sure.”  

Justin Gaethje delivered a stellar performance against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. He not only asserted his dominance but also landed some brutal shots on the Azerbaijani fighter in an action-packed co-main event. With this win, Gaethje improved to 2-0 against ‘Ataman,’ who had stepped in on short notice for the fight. So what’s next for the former BMF title holder? It seems he wants to fight for the title next.

Justin Gaethje is eyeing a title shot after his UFC 313 victory

Nearly three years have passed since Justin Gaethje last fought for the lightweight title. However, in 2023, he stated that this would be his final run, and is solely focused on earning another shot at gold. However, Gaethje is well aware that fighting the opponent he wants isn’t quite in his hands. Rather, he is prepared to face whoever the UFC puts in front of him. That said, given that his time in the sport is limited at 36 years old, it was not surprising to see him aggressively campaign for a title shot.

After winning his fight during the UFC 313 post-fight interview, Gaethje meant business. He said, “I am number 3 in the world, the most exciting guy that’s ever stepped in there and I don’t have a choice. It’s all on the UFC. We’ll see what they want,”. However, during the post-fight press conference he pointed out that he is rooting for a title shot next.

He further added, “I mean, I wanna fight for the belt, obviously, but it’s a much different matchup than I just had. They tried to give me a donut, but I need to get back to running if I’m going to fight Makhachev.” Gaethje is once again back in the talks for getting a title shot. However, the big question is will he get the chance to fight for the title soon.

Who do you think Justin Gaethje will face next in his career? Will he fight for the title next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.