UFC lightweight division is stacked with some of the most exciting fighters in MMA today. And UFC has granted the wishes of the fans by booking the fight between the Human Highlight Reel Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Justin Gaethje is undoubtedly one of the most violent men on the roster. On the other hand, Michael Chandler puts on a show every time he steps into the MMA ring.
So the fans can expect fireworks when Gaethje meets Chandler at UFC 268. And when you consider the fact that there is bad blood between the two lightweights going into the fight it can be said that Gaethje and Chandler will try to punish each other inside the octagon.
During the UFC 265 weigh-in show, Justin Gaethje was interviewed by the weigh-in panel that included Michael Chandler. Things got tensed between Gaethje and Chandler when the Highlight started talking about how he does not like Chandler and wants to get into the octagon with a kill or be killed attitude. Gaethje stated:
“I got nothing mean to say. We do mean things to each other one night a year so it’s been a while since I fought somebody I did not like for some reason you’re a little different. I think it was James Vick the last guy I fought that I didn’t like. So it’ll be fun to punch you in the face.”
“I’m going to try to kill that(Gaethje refrained himself and further said), and kill is a very harsh word. We got families but ultimately I’m going to tell myself he’s going to try to kill me so that I can go to the most primal place that exists for humans and that is fight or flight, life or death. “
“So I am excited to fight someone again that I don’t like. It’s been a while, I have no reason not to like you but something about our face just makes me want it.”
Also Read: Who is the better fighter between Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje?
How did the rivalry between Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje start?
Michael Chandler recently said that Justin Gaethje has declined to fight him multiple times even though UFC is eager to make this fight. To which, Justin Gaethje replied and said that UFC never even offered him the fight. And this might be the only reason behind the beef between Chandler and Gaethje going into their much-awaited clash.
Though Gaethje sent a stern warning to Michael Chandler during his interview, Chandler did not lose his cool and gave a classy response. Chandler stated:
“This is a fight that needed to happen. This is a fight that was inevitable that was going to happen. I think both of us are cut from the same cloth. Hard-nosed wrestlers we are going to meet in the center of the octagon, we are gonna have a blast, we are gonna entertain everybody. Win, lose, or draw I am prepared to make a highlight or be made a highlight by the human highlight reel.”
This fight will have a huge impact on the lightweight title picture. With a win, Gaethje and Chandler get back into the mix. However, it’s very likely that the winner will have to fight one more time before getting a title shot as both of them lost their fights that had the undisputed lightweight title on the line.