"Chandler is a straight-up bada**" - Chael Sonnen believes Michael Chandler continued trading punches with Justin Gaethje despite breaking his hand mid-fight
Chael Sonnen has spoken about Michael Chandler's performance at UFC 268. At the Madison Square Garden-held pay-per-view, 'Iron' was defeated by Justin Gaethje via unanimous decision.
Commenting on the fight in an episode of his Beyond The Fight YouTube series, Sonnen praised Chandler's performance. He also credited the former Bellator champ for continuing to fight hard despite seemingly damaging his hand mid-fight.
"Chandler is a straight-up bad*ss. Chandler's got no quit. I believe Chandler broke his hand. He even signalled at one point. He was telling a coach or something. He showed his hand and shook it and then he didn't throw it anymore. He started blocking and fainting. He started being a punching bag... I believe why that happened is I believe he busted his hand... It was so goddamn tough... he didn't tell the referee. He didn't tell Gaethje. He stood up there and took those last few minutes."
Sonnen also commended Justin Gaethje for his performance. He claimed 'The Highlight' was the best version of himself at UFC 268.
Catch Chael Sonnen's latest episode of Beyond the Fight below:
Chael Sonnen believes Islam Makhachev should fight Justin Gaethje next
In another edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen suggested that Islam Mahachev should fight Justin Gaethje.
Days before his remarks, Islam Makhachev defeated Dan Hooker via first-round submission at UFC 267 last month. Speaking about Makhachev's next opponent, Sonnen said:
“So, possibly that [Islam Makhachev vs. Justin Gaethje] is the answer. Possibly Justin Gaethje is your guy... If Islam can get into the top five, Islam can go and fight for the belt. That’s the piece that everybody wants to miss. Guys don’t even know how the goddamn rankings work... I’m just speaking purely to what Islam needs. Islam doesn’t need another win. He doesn’t need another beautiful increase on his record. He doesn’t need anybody else to come out and speak on his behalf. He’s got to get on the docket with a star.”
Watch Chael Sonnen talking about what’s next for Islam Makhachev in the video below: