Michael Chandler, recent Bellator import to the UFC, is looking to take Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje for his next fight. Following his second-round TKO loss to Charles Oliveira earlier this year, Chandler needs to cement his place in the lightweight division by fighting another top-ranked contender.
Chandler told MMAFighting: “Gaethje should be next. There’s no doubt about it.
Chandler to fight-ducking Gaethje: “make a highlight or be made a highlight”
There is no secret [Islam Makhachev] and Gaethje both share the same management, so obviously that management would want to say, ‘Hey, throw Islam on the trail. Throw Islam on the Chandler trail so that it takes the heat off of Gaethje.’
But Justin Gaethje: Come on, bro. You call yourself a fighter, and you’re one of the most exciting guys in mixed martial arts.
Be prepared to make a highlight or be made a highlight, because that’s what I am. That’s what I’m ready to do.”
Chandler, of course, is referencing Gaethje’s nickname, “the highlight”, in an attempt to bait him into a fight. Gaethje picked up this moniker by repeatedly offering an exciting, at time exceptionally violent, fighting style, which he maintains to this day.
Gaethje is an all-or-nothing fighter, and would make a very different opponent to the composed martial artist CHandler just faced in Charles Oliveira.
Chandler continued, declaring that Gaethje has ducked him “four or five times”, and is afraid of the matchup:
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve said Justin Gaethje’s name no less than 100 times since I’ve signed with the organization. He’s been asked to fight me three or four different times. Every time he’s declined.
He and I are ranked two spots away from each other. He has not fought since last October. He needs to get a fight in if he thinks he’s going to fight for the title. For some reason, him and his camp have no interest in fighting me.”
Chandler concluded by saying that their relative positions in the lightweight rankings, and their large fanbases, makes the fight an obvious choice for both men and the UFC. “So that’s the fight I want, that’s the fight I think it should be. Two of the best guys fighting.
It’s also a fight that I know the fans want to see. I know that’s a fight you guys want to see, so that’s my hope, that’s my thought. And I don’t really get why we haven’t heard anything yet.”
How do you see a potential bout between Chandler and Gaethje going down? Will Gaethje cement the notion that Chandler isn’t good enough for the UFC’s elite? Let us know in the comments.
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