MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for March: Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev claim award – again
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics at UFC Fight Night 253
Nasrat Haqparast (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Esteban Ribovics (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) put on a thrilling slugfest at lightweight in the middle of the main card.
Haqparast, an underdog in the fight, won for the fifth straight time, four of which have been decisions, against Ribovics, who won Fight of the Night honors for the second straight bout.
Nominee: Ozzy Diaz def. Djorden Santos at UFC 313
Ozzy Diaz (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) beat Djorden Santos (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision in their light heavyweight showdown that was filled with action.
Diaz and Santos landed the eighth most combined strikes in UFC middleweight history – 270 total, with Diaz with a narrow edge at 136-134. Even where they landed their strikes was nearly even.
Nominee: Shauna Bannon def. Puja Tomas at UFC Fight Night 255
Shauna Bannon was in deep trouble before rallying to score her first UFC finish against Puja Tomar.
Just moments after getting dropped by a clean left high kick, Bannon (7-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was able to whip up an armbar off her back and submit Puja Tomar (9-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the second round of the strawweight bout.
Nominee: Loopy Godinez def. Julia Polastri at UFC on ESPN 64
Loopy Godinez (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was buoyed by the support of the Mexico crowd in a unanimous decision victory over Julia Polastri (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in their strawweight bout, and managed to survive a late surge.
After being a step ahead for the majority of an entertaining contest, Godinez was forced to go on the defensive as Polastri threw caution to the wind down the stretch. It wasn't enough, but it certainly brought the fans to their feet.
The winner
The winner: Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313
Another Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev fight, another thriller.
That’s what played out as Gaethje defeated Fiziev in their hastily booked rematch, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 from all three judges. The lightweight bout was the UFC 313 co-main event.
Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) first beat Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) by majority decision in the Fight of the Night in March 2023 at UFC 286. This fight unfolded much like that encounter, with both men throwing and landing heavy punches throughout the 15 minutes.
But it was Gaethje who landed the most significant strike of the fight in the second round when he ducked under a jab and dodged an uppercut before countering with an uppercut of his own that dropped Fiziev to the canvas. It nearly ended the fight, but Fiziev survived.
The third round started in Fiziev’s favor, but Gaethje – who promised a throwback version of himself from his WSOF days heading into UFC 313 – was relentless with volume and power punches that started wearing on his opponent as the round unfolded. It was a strong way for Gaethje to close out the fight, which resonated with the judges.
Cast Your Vote!
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for March: Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev claim award – again
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