Michael Chandler is well aware of Justin Gaethje’s fiery comments about him.
Chandler is seeking big fights after falling short in his bid for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Chandler shared the Octagon with Charles Oliveira back in June for the vacant gold. Oliveira knocked him out 19 seconds into the second stanza.
Having been defeated in his first attempt at UFC gold, the former Bellator titleholder is turning his attention to “The Highlight.” The only problem is, Chandler told his fans during an Instagram live chat that Gaethje has turned him down on more than one occasion (h/t MMAFighting).
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve said Justin Gaethje’s name no less than 100 times since I’ve signed with the organization,” Chandler said. “He’s been asked to fight me three or four different times. Every time he’s declined. He and I are ranked two spots away from each other. He has not fought since last October. He needs to get a fight in if he thinks he’s going to fight for the title. For some reason, him and his camp have no interest in fighting me.”
Gaethje caught wind of Chandler’s claims and had the following response on his Twitter page.
“Michael Chandler is talking out of his ass. I was waiting for the bout agreement 3 weeks into camp and wake up to news his daddy Dana gave him the shot. He’s been out of commission since the KO. What am I missing? I’m on vacay and this fucker is slandering my name. 3-4 times?”
Chandler then came up with a solution to this dilemma with Gaethje.
“Let’s make it happen then. The fans want it. I’ve been asking for it.”
Gaethje hasn’t been in action since October 2020. He was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 254.
