Justin Gaethje’s Comfort Zone

Those who follow mixed martial arts closely know Justin Gaethje. Perhaps the top lightweight operating outside the auspices of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he has become one of the big fish in the World Series of Fighting pond. Gaethje will put his perfect 16-0 record on the line when he defends his lightweight championship against the seasoned and well-traveled Luiz Firmino in the WSOF 34 headliner on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. A late change in opponent — Firmino stepped in for the injured Joao Zeferino on short notice — has done nothing to curb the champion’s enthusiasm. Gaethje maintains a steely focus on final approach.“I was definitely disappointed, but I was mainly concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to fight on the card at all,” he told Sherdog.com. “I didn’t know if someone would be willing to take the fight on short notice or if he would have been able to get all his medicals in on time; it can be difficult. It was supposed to be Zeferino, but I’m actually now even more excited to be fighting Firmino because he’s been very disrespectful and bad for our sport. Hopefully I’ll get to break him.” Connected to the powerhouse Blackzilians camp, Firmino saw his …

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