"We should have been fighting for the title" - Justin Gaethje's coach Trevor Wittman on Michael Chandler getting first shot at vacant UFC lightweight title

(From left to right) Michael Chandler, Trevor Wittman and Justin Gaethje [Image Courtesy: @mikechandlermma and @justin_gaethje on Instagram]

At UFC 274, Justin Gaethje will once again challenge for the UFC lightweight title. According to his coach, Trevor Wittman, ‘The Highlight’ should’ve been fighting for the vacant belt prior to Michael Chandler.

In the UFC 274 Countdown video package, Justin Gaethje is shown training under the watchful eye of Wittman. During the training footage, the head coach who is the owner of ONX sports shares his mind on the UFC lightweight title picture.

According to Wittman, Justin Gaethje should've fought for the belt with Charles Oliveira before Chandler stepped into the octagon to take on the Brazilian.

Trevor Wittman said:

“I actually felt like we should have been fighting for the title prior to Chandler fighting for it.”

Watch Trevor Wittman talk about the issue at 9:54 of the video below:

Michael Chandler faced Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 and lost via TKO in the early stages of the second round. The former then fought Gaetje at UFC 268 and lost that fight via unanimous decision.

Gaethje won the UFC interim lightweight title by defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. He unsuccessfully tried to become the undisputed champion at UFC 254, where he was choked out by Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Khabib Nurmagomedov put Justin Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke 🤯 #UFC254 https://t.co/E2f3jCmt6M

The Dagestani fighter announced his retirement in his post-fight interview, vacating the title in the process. Michael Chandler was picked by the UFC to face Charles Oliveira in a matchup to declare a new lightweight champion.

Now, after emerging victorious against Chandler, ‘Do Bronx’ will defend his title against Gaethje at UFC 274.

“Riot canceled” - @Jon_Anik 🇺🇸🥇🌎 Date: May 7th Location: TBD https://t.co/BjsElHaRrn

Justin Gaethje talks about his fight against Michael Chandler

During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, 'The Highlight' spoke about his feelings towards the three-round scrap against Michael Chandler. The lightweight title challinsists the brawl didn't affect him at all.

The bout between the former UFC interim lightweight champion and former Bellator lightweight titleholder was promised to be an action-packed scrap. The two fighters met the fans' expectations by going toe-to-toe in the center of the octagon. The 15-minute affair became an instant classic and was considered a “fight-of-the-year.”

During his conversation with ESPN’s Megan Olivi, Gaethje was asked about how he was affected by taking on Michael Chandler inside a sold-out Madison Square Garden.

Justin Gaethje answered the question by saying:

"I'm kinda of weird in a way, it didn't impact me in any way, whatsoever. It was fun, it was a great experience, it'll be cool to talk about when I'm done. I have seven nieces, two nephews, these stories are for them. One day, I'll have kids, and these stories will be for them... It was awesome, the whole night, the whole experience was awesome, but it was, in my mind, no different than [my] first fight."

Check out Gaethje reflect on Michael Chandler fight at 7:40 of the video below: