Jon Anik believes Michael Chandler 'put himself in the UFC Hall of Fame' with performance against Justin Gaethje
Jon Anik believes Michael Chandler deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame as a result of his war against Justin Gaethje.
UFC 268 was an incredible event for a myriad of reasons and one of them was the war that was produced by Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje.
Both men gave it everything they had in the name of moving one step closer towards a UFC lightweight title shot. Gaethje was ultimately the man who sealed the decision victory.
As per Jon Anik, though, both Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje have earned their place in the UFC Hall of Fame due to their respective performances. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, the play-by-play commentator said:
“Michael Chandler, fault him if you may as an MMA coach for sort of taking that approach against Justin Gaethje, but he put himself into the UFC Hall of Fame - at least in the Fight Wing - with that fight, that approach and that performance and that heart and that skill and everything else. Gaethje is the man but Chandler was a very willing other side of all that.”
Catch MMA Fighting's full interview with Jon Anik below:
The win has appeared to set Justin Gaethje up as the next challenger for UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. However, it's yet to be confirmed as to whether or not that'll happen.
Will Michael Chandler challenge for the belt again?
The complex case of Michael Chandler often leads back to him saying "see you at the top" regardless of whether he wins or loses. In three months, he will turn 36 years of age - which typically doesn't bode well for those hoping to continually succeed in a division like lightweight.
Chandler has said before that he's here for a good time, not a long time, and we tend to believe him. The guy wants to throw caution to the wind and keep pushing forward - which is what he did against Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira and Gaethje back in 2021.
Now, with a rumored fight against Conor McGregor being discussed, Chandler could easily continue to add to his legacy in 2022.