Michael Chandler believes he and Justin Gaethje will fight again.
At UFC 268, Chandler and Gaethje fought in a highly-anticipated bout as many expected it to be a war. The fight ended up exceeding the hype as it was arguably the fight of the year but it was Gaethje winning by decision, this despite both men hurting each other in the contest.
With Gaethje winning, he will now be fighting Charles Oliveira for the belt sometime in 2022. Chandler, meanwhile, is just 1-2 in the UFC but remains a big name and knows he only needs a win or two to get right back in the title picture. He also believes that eventual title shot will come in the form of a rematch against Gaethje.
“I think that fight was the epitome of me out there performing and enjoying my life, enjoying what I do, enjoying my calling and it was the first time I got my hand grabbed by the referee and I did not care who got their hand raised… I love my life and I love that this fight was a part of my career,” Chandler said on MMAFighting’s Fighter vs. Writer (via Sportskeeda). “There is no doubt that the vast majority of people were extremely entertained by that fight and would love to see me fight Justin Gaethje again. Maybe it will be for the title by the end of 2022. We will see.”
Before the loss to Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler was knocked out by Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 in May for the vacant lightweight title. In his debut at UFC 257, he scored a first-round KO over Dan Hooker which put him in the title picture.
