Justin Gaethje’s ‘intentional looking’ eye-poke from 2019 goes viral after recent controversies ahead of UFC 313

UFC lightweight veteran Justin Gaethje is facing intense scrutiny due to his behavior during one of his past fights.

Justin Gaethje’s ‘intentional looking’ eye-poke from 2019 goes viral after recent controversies ahead of UFC 313

Justin Gaethje faces backlash because of his alleged illegal strikes against Edson Barboza (Image via Fox News/X)

Justin Gaethje has remained one of the most consistent and relevant fighters in the UFC lightweight division over the past few years. Despite experiencing various ups and downs in his career, Gaethje has consistently remained a top contender in the 155-pound division. However, his career has recently come under some scrutiny.

Back in March 2019, Justin Gaethje came out for a fight outing against a veteran Edson Barboza. The ‘Highlight’ comfortably emerged as the victor by dismissing Barboza in the very first round of the fight. However, according to some recent surfacing clips, Gaethje allegedly poked the Brazilian fighter’s eyes in the starting minute of the fight.

YouTube video

The UFC community is currently facing various controversies surrounding eye pokes in fights. Most recently, Henry Cejudo’s bout against Song Yadong ended in a technical decision due to an eye poke. Following this incident, popular MMA YouTuber The MMA Guru quickly pointed out that Gaethje had also poked Edson Barboza in the eyes during their fight.

FS Video

Gaethje has been involved in controversies related to eye pokes. In his most recent fight, the ‘Highlight’ clashed against Max Holloway. The match featured several exciting moments, including an incident where Gaethje received an allegedly illegal eye poke.

Many believe that this incident contributed to Gaethje’s defeat. However, the ‘Highlight’ handled his loss graciously, crediting Holloway for landing the KO shot. The American lightweight is now preparing for his comeback fight this weekend.

When rival Rafael Fiziev called out Justin Gaethje for his dirty gameplan

In May 2022, Justin Gaethje had the chance to crown himself as the UFC lightweight champion. However, Charles Oliveira brutally dismissed him with a convincing submission win. In the rebound fight, the ‘Highlight’ clashed against Rafael Fiziev who boasted an impressive fight record coming onto their highly anticipated showdown.

Rafael Fiziev and Justin Gaethje in action at UFC 286
Rafael Fiziev and Justin Gaethje in action at UFC 286 (Image via MMA Fighting)

As everyone expected, Gaethje’s fight against Fiziev at UFC 286 ended in a three-round battle that showcased impressive striking. While the Arizona native was pleased with his performance, the Azerbaijan national was quite disappointed. Immediately after the match, Fiziev confronted Gaethje and accused him of using alleged dirty tactics to secure his victory.

He [Gaethje] ran away from me for 2 rounds. He started to win only after an eye poke because my eye couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see anything with my right eye. He fought good only after the eye poke and round 3 when I started to get tired.

Rafael Fiziev via The AllStar

Fiziev now has a chance to avenge his previous defeat against Gaethje in the co-main event of UFC 313. However, both UFC lightweight fighters are coming off losses in their most recent fights. Given this context, it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena.

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