Michael Chandler addresses Justin Gaethje’s wrestling jibe; breaks down his UFC 268 fight against ‘The Highlight’
Justin Gaethje recently suggested that Michael Chandler would adopt a wrestling-heavy approach to their upcoming fight once he feels the power of Gaethje's strikes.
Michael Chandler addressed Justin Gaethje’s remarks in an interview with The Schmo. ‘Iron’ referred to Gaethje as a top-tier UFC lightweight who is “the scariest, the most dynamic, (and) the most entertaining of them all.” That said, he emphasized that he’s more than capable of beating ‘The Highlight’. Chandler addressed Gaethje’s ‘wrestling’ jibe and stated:
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter. I mean, I’m not really worried about it. Quite frankly, I don’t know whether I will shoot for the legs or not. Because when you’re just in the moment, when you’re fighting, when you’re training, when you’re in here training, you’re just going off of instincts. You know, you train so hard. You train so many reps, so many hours, so many different techniques that you have to, you know – Put your 10,000 hours in for those techniques and those scenarios and those decisions to be innate, to be ingrained inside your DNA.”
“So, I think I am a complete mixed martial artist. I think I have the power to knock Justin Gaethje out. I think I have the ability to mix it up, to be able to keep him on his toes, or keep him on his heels rather. If I want to take the fight to the ground, I believe I’ll be able to take it to the ground. I can keep it there, and I can finish him there. So, we’ll see. This is just the confidence I have in all these different positions. And, you know, either way, I’m excited to compete against him.”
Watch Michael Chandler’s conversation with The Schmo below:
Michael Chandler could avenge a past loss and win UFC gold in 2022
The No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje is set to fight No. 4-ranked Michael Chandler at UFC 268 on November 6. The winner of this fight could very well receive a shot at the UFC lightweight title in 2022.
Michael Chandler knows what he's getting into at #UFC268
(via @bokamotoESPN) https://t.co/LUzj4koZFS
Meanwhile, reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is scheduled to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on December 11. Should Chandler and Oliveira win their respective fights, it could perhaps set up a rematch between them for the UFC lightweight title. If this fight materializes, it will give ‘Iron’ a chance to avenge his May 2021 loss to Oliveira.