The heat is building up between top contenders Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler before they fight each other come November in New York City.
The Beef
The drama between the two started whenever Chandler called out Gaethje for declining to fight him, on multiple occasions. Gaethje, who is known to be the kind of fighter to fight ‘anytime, anywhere’, wasn’t a fan of Chandler’s antics.
After the elite lightweights traded barbs on social media, Chandler and Gaethje would finally agree to terms to fight each other later this year. The high stakes bout will go down in New York City on the already stacked UFC 268 card, headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington.
The Exchange
The UFC, knowing that the fight is one of the more hyped events of the year, would organize a call between the two human highlight reels at the UFC 265 weigh-in show. What we got was a promo for the ages.
“I got nothing mean to say,” Gaethje told Chandler. “We do mean things to each other one night a year. It’s been a while since I fought someone I didn’t like. For some reason you’re a little different. I think it was James Vick, the last guy I fought that I didn’t like. It’ll be fun to punch you in the face.”
“I’m excited to fight someone I don’t like,” Gaethje said. “It’s been a while. I have no reason not to like you. Something about your face just makes me want to punch it.”
Justin Gaethje: It'll be fun to punch you in the face.
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 6, 2021
Michael Chandler: You know, I think that'll be fun too.
This exchange between @Justin_Gaethje and @MikeChandlerMMA 😂 (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/wz2stRMylW
“You know, I think that’ll be fun too.” Chandler responded to Gaethje with a sly smile.
Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler are both looking for redemption after falling short for UFC Lightweight gold in their last outings. A win over the other could put themselves right at the top of the food chain, possibly securing another title shot.
With this much at stake, this entertaining duo looks to produce a dogfight come November 6th.
