"I didn't like it" - Justin Gaethje calls UFC 268 war with Michael Chandler a "boring fight"
Justin Gaethje recently gave his thoughts on his 2021 fight against Michael Chandler.
During a recent interview with BT Sport, Gaethje discussed his Fight of the Year-worthy contest against Chandler at UFC 268. Despite the fanfare surrounding the clash, 'The Highlight' described it as "boring."
Gaethje also revealed that it was the first time he was more concerned with winning than with knocking out an opponent. However, the former interim lightweight champion admitted that his mindset has changed since defeating 'Iron'.
"To be completely honest with you, I felt like that was kind of a boring fight when I was in there. Yeah, it makes no sense. It was the first time I have ever wanted to win more than knock somebody out. So yeah, it was not good. I didn't like it. I wanna go back to just wanting to hurt somebody and finish them. But, now that I have won and I got my title shot, I can go back to how it should be."
Watch Justin Gaethje's full interview with BT Sport below:
Gaethje and Chandler locked horns in a highly anticipated lightweight bout at UFC 268. 'Iron' looked excellent at first, but it was only a matter of time before Gaethje unleashed his uppercuts and brutal striking style.
After three rounds, Gaethje was awarded a unanimous decision verdict (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
@Justin_Gaethje notches the UD victory after an incredible battle. As advertised 👏
💢 @Justin_Gaethje notches the UD victory after an incredible battle.
[ #UFC268 | The Main Card is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV: ufc.ac/3pxVxYV ] https://t.co/wZe2L8Tlcx
Michael Chandler praises UFC; calls it a 'great promotion'
Michael Chandler recently claimed that his UFC peers don't appreciate MMA's premier promotion enough.
The UFC has been regarded as the global leader in mixed martial arts for many years. However, many of the fighters on the roster have expressed their dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the promotion's operations.
Michael Chandler recently shared his opinion during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. Chandler, who used to fight under the banner of Bellator prior to joining the UFC, claimed the promotion is better than any other organization in the sport.
“I heard you talking about Diaz and Conor, Ngannou and some of these guys, these guys understand that the UFC is the biggest promotion. They don’t quite understand how great of a promotion the UFC is, because for a lot of them, it’s all that they know...They don’t quite know how much better the UFC is than any other organization, how much better they are treated, from a medical standpoint, from a promotion standpoint, from a platform standpoint, from a legitimate business standpoint. Me being outside of the UFC and coming into the UFC, I had the luxury of understanding the difference between other fight promotions and the UFC.”
Watch Michael Chandler's appearance on The MMA Hour below: