"He's gonna be dangerous as hell... for nine minutes" - Justin Gaethje breaks down how Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier will possibly go down
UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje has weighed in on a potential bout between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.
'The Highlight' was present at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, for UFC 278. Gaethje was there to support his friend and teammate Kamaru Usman. During his time there, the former title challenger interacted with the media and answered several questions.
Gaethje shared his thoughts on the possible matchup between 'The Diamond' and Chandler and said 'Iron' was a dangerous opponent, especially in the first nine minutes of a fight:
"I think Poirier's gonna be methodical. I think Chandler's gonna be explosive. I think he's gonna be dangerous as hell for nine minutes, he's still dangerous after that. That's why the risk first reward factor calculation that's constantly going on, never allowed me to take that chance. That man is dangerous and he loves to fight. So, I'm a fan," said Justin Gaethje.
Watch Justin Gaethje's full interaction with the media below:
Talks of a fight between Chandler and Poirier have been brewing for some time. The bout is expected to take place at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The card will be headlined by a title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
Justin Gaethje has fought both Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler
'The Highlight' has shared the UFC octagon with Dustin Poirier as well as Michael Chandler.
Gaethje took on Poirier in April 2018 in what was just his third fight in the promotion. The fight was a back-and-forth thriller that ended in a fourth-round TKO victory for 'The Diamond'.
Gaethje locked horns with 'Iron' at UFC 268. Coming into the fight, both lightweights had lost their last encounter.
'The Highlight' and Chandler blew the roof off Madison Square Garden that night and delivered an all-out war for three long rounds. In the end, it was Gaethje who took home the victory with a unanimous decision. The three judges scored the fight 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 in favor of the Arizona native.
Along with the UFC, many media outlets like Bleacher Report, MMA Junkie, Yahoo! Sports, MMA Fighting, and Sherdog picked the contest as the 'Fight of the Year' for 2021.
Justin Gaethje posted a photo of him and Michael Chandler from the hospital after their war at #UFC268
(via @Justin_Gaethje) https://t.co/TC5etzSByR