Michael
Chandler didn’t end up on the right side of the scorecards
following his lightweight clash with Justin
Gaethje at
UFC 268, but the bout will go down as one of the year’s
best.
Chandler fell to Gaethje via unanimous decision in a “Fight of the
Year” contender on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New
York. It was the former Bellator champion’s second consecutive
defeat within the Las Vegas-based promotion following a knockout of
Dan
Hooker in his Octagon debut.
Chandler was able to rock Gaethje with his right hand in the
opening stanza, but as the bout progressed, his opponent took
control behind a steady diet of low kicks and power punches. The
former University of Missouri wrestling standout was more than
willing to brawl with Gaethje, and he absorbed a significant amount
of damage for his efforts.
“We made some questionable decisions in the last one, but we had a
blast!” Chandler wrote on Instagram. “Ill-advised yet entertaining
is my strong suit.
“What a great camp we had at [Sanford MMA]. Huge thank you to my
coaches and training partners. So happy to be home with
@briechandler and Hapman. To the fans: I appreciate your guys’
support on this journey. The best is yet to come! See you at the
top!”
In a separate post on Twitter, Chandler turned his attention to a
2022 showdown with former two-division champion Conor
McGregor, which prompted a positive response from the Irish
star. McGregor is recovering from a broken leg suffered in a
rematch against Dustin
Poirier at UFC 264 in July.
I’m down at some stage for sure. Great fight
the other night Mike, congrats!— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA)
November 8, 2021
“I’m down at some stage for sure,” McGregor replied. “Great fight
the other night Mike, congrats!”