Justin Gaethje has not competed in the UFC since losing to Khabib in 2020. However, he is still ranked No.2 in one of the UFC’s most competitive divisions.
It was recently announced that Gaethje will face off against Michael Chandler at UFC 268.
In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Justin Gaethje had the following to say on the current state of the division:
It is understandable that Justin Gaethje did not want to fight opponents ranked outside of the top-five, especially considering his most recent fight was against the former champion.
Prior to Khabib vacating the belt, Gaethje was the most recent lightweight to compete for the title and to hold the interim belt beforehand. For that reason, he believes he should have been put forward to fight for the vacant ti
Instead, Michael Chandler faced Charles Oliveira for the title. Ultimately, ‘Do Bronx’ came out on top and will almost certainly face Dustin Poirier next. As mentioned earlier, Chandler will be matched up with Gaethje in November.
You can check out the full ESPN MMA interview with Justin Gaethje below:
The impact of Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler on the lightweight division
Justin Gaethje is still ranked No.2 in the lightweight division, whilst Chandler sits at No.4. Their fight may well decide the next number one contender to face the winner of Oliveira vs. Poirier.
Beneil Dariush, who is No.3-ranked after defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 262, is also in the mix. However, he doesn’t have a fight booked and suggested he would wait a while before making his next appearance.
Islam Makhachev, considered by many to be the new Khabib, is also on the rise and is currently scheduled to fight another former champ in Rafael dos Anjos.
0 votes
