What happened: Rafael Fiziev, the headliner for UFC Baku, says Justin Gaethje's UFC White House victory has lit a fire under him as he prepares for fight week. Fiziev, who has shared the cage with Gaethje twice, framed his two-time opponent's title moment as a source of pride and motivation rather than rivalry. "He's really motivated me with that win and I'm happy," Fiziev said.

Why it matters: The timing matters because Fiziev steps into his own main event in Baku needing a statement to climb back into the lightweight title picture. Watching a man who beat him twice reach the mountaintop reframes those losses as proof he has operated at the division's highest level, and gives the headliner a clear emotional throughline heading into the card.

What to watch: Fiziev next faces Ignacio Bahamondes in the UFC Baku lightweight main event on June 27, where a win would reassert his standing in a crowded 155-pound division.