Michael Chandler Names Justin Gaethje As His ‘Scariest’ Opponent
Ahead of his UFC 268 bout, Michael Chandler has stated that his opponent Justin Gaethje is ‘scariest’ he has ever faced.
Chandler and Gaethje are scheduled to square off on November 6 in what will be one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. Both men are very well known for their fan-friendly, all-action style and if it gels, could be a fight of the year type fight.
This will mark Chandler’s third appearance for the promotion 10 months since joining the UFC in early 2021, debutin by knocking out Dan Hooker in round one. Chandler last fought back in May in a losing battle to current lightweight champion Charles Olivera for the vacant 155lb belt, in what was one of the most exciting fights of the year.
This will mark Gaethje’s first fight in over a year, since his submission loss to then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Before the loss, Gaethje was riding a four-fight win streak including a dominant performance over Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title.
In an interview with Brett Okamoto, Chandler had this to say about ‘The Highlight’- “I will say that I think Justin Gaethje is the scariest guy I’ve ever fought, he’s the craziest guy I’ve ever fought. I’ve fought some very tough guys is the past but he takes the cake.
“Listen when people say stuff like that [enjoying when a fight gets tough] it’s always blunder unless it Justin Gaethje, I truly believe when he says those things, the dude really thinks that.”
Although the pair are set to battle in what could be a bout that could determine who would be next in the line for a title shot, there seems to be a huge amount of mutual respect. Chandler had this to say “His name was one was of the names I said when I first got into the UFC I was excited to fight Justin Gaethje. I was excited to compete against him because I truly respect him, if I was a fan and I wasn’t in the sport of mixed martial arts he would be one of my favrioute fighters.”
What do you think? Could Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje be a fight of the year contender?
