Michael Chandler: ‘We Made Some Questionable Decisions’ in UFC 268 Loss to Justin Gaethje

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!”

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