When Justin Gaethje dismissed Michael Chandler’s anti-vaccine rhetoric as mere attention-seeking behavior, Michael Chandler was never going to take it lying down.
Speaking on The MMA Hour, Chandler opened up about his position, how it got out of hand, and why Justin Gaethje may be his toughest fight yet.
Chandler Fires Back at Justin Gaethje Over “Anti-Vax” Accusation
“The funny thing about the vaccination thing was, I didn’t come out, I didn’t do one story to tell people about it, about the vaccine I didn’t get on your show and start talking about the vaccine. I was in a private Instagram Live session with a couple thousand people or whatever it was. Five minutes after I hit ‘End Live,’ one of the MMA media outlets come out and said Chandler isn’t getting vaxxed, and then I got labeled an anti-vaxxer.”
Chandler continued, citing civil liberties as his reason not to get vaccinated against a global pandemic.
“I don’t personally have the vaccine right now. I don’t know if I ever will get the vaccine.
Personally, I just believe that we live in the greatest country on the planet. I believe that this is the greatest country on the planet because of our individual liberties and our individual choices, especially when it comes to our bodies and our medical history and our health.”
New York City has long threatened to require COVID-19 vaccination for athletes competing in the city. As it stands, this won’t affect UFC 268, where Chandler will face Gaethje to decide who gets the next shot at the lightweight title. Both men lost their last fights, both of which were championship fights, and Chandler knows that Gaethje will be a tough opponent.
“I think you always prepare for a long, drawn-out war.
I think you always prepare for a guy that you just can’t finish, a guy that just continues to come forward with everything you hit him with, and Justin Gaethje is that.
You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think that Justin Gaethje is not just violent and not just skilled, but man, the dude has cardio and heart in droves. So I’m preparing for 15 hard, hard minutes. The hardest fight of my life.
But I think best-case scenario I land one pretty darn hard on his temple or his chin and put him out. But that’s what every fighter wants. You want the knockout and you want the quick, easy paycheck, of course, but you’ve got to be ready for that 15-minute war.
And if I had to guess, I think if there’s a finish it’s happening later on, second or third round, because I think both of us are just not going to get hit with anything too crazy clean in order to get finished. But that’s what I’m preparing for. We’ll see.”
Do you think Chandler can finish Justin Gaethje? Let us know in the comments.
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Screenstinger for great videos, news, and gameplay!
