Things move fast in UFC HQ.
It was confirmed earlier this week that a “busted paw” had removed Dan Hooker from his scheduled UFC 313 co-main event date with lightweight buzzsaw Justin Gaethje and as part of a slew of fight announcements late Wednesday by UFC boss Dana White, Gaethje will now rematch the Azerbaijani striker Rafael Fiziev in a featured bout on the March 8 card in Las Vegas.
The short notice sequel comes two years after the pair first fought in the cage, with Gaethje taking home a majority decision win on that occasion. Since then, Gaethje has defeated Dustin Poirier by head kick KO and was knocked out last April by Max Holloway in one of the most spectacular finishes ever seen in the Octagon.
Meanwhile, White also confirmed that Bryce Mitchell, who came under heavy fire recently for controversial comments regarding Adolf Hitler, will take on the Brazilian knockout artist Jean Silva who has won each of his past four fights inside the distance.
Separately, it was also confirmed that former 205-pound champion Jamahal Hill will take on the recent title contender Khalil Rountree in the featured bout of the UFC’s return to Kansas City on April 26. The two were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 303 this past June before Rountree was removed from the bout for a minor substance violation.