“I’ll knock Justin Gaethje out cold,” Michael Chandler believes if Eddie Alvarez can destroy Gaethje then he can too

“I’ll knock Justin Gaethje out cold,” Michael Chandler believes if Eddie Alvarez can destroy Gaethje then he can too

Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje

Michael Chandler is just a week off from his second fight in the UFC and he already has fans and the promotion going frenzy for his next matchup. The “Iron” believes that the next closest matchup to him might be Justin Gaethje.

In a long time, there has been no one better at handling a knockout loss like Michael. The former Bellator champion stepped up to a title shot in his second fight in the new promotion and faced KO defeat against Charles Oliveira at UFC 262. Despite his loss, Chandler is confident that he can handle the top five in the UFC’s lightweight division. On Tuesday, Chandler was speaking to MMA Fighting about his loss and the next potential matchup.

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“I think Gaethje-Chandler is probably the biggest fan favorite fight on the entire planet right now,” Chandler said. “I think he becomes a part of my highlight reel or I become a part of his highlight reel and both of us come forward and enjoy a good old fashioned, passionate scrap. That’s how he’s wired. That’s how I’m wired,” he said.

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“Justin Gaethje been on the tips of the UFC’s tongue, our tongue, myself and my management, since we signed with the UFC. It just hasn’t worked out that way for numerous different reasons.”

Michael Chandler responds to Eddie Alvarez’s comments

Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez believes that Justin Gaethje would be a “terrible matchup” for Michael Chandler. The lightweight contender responded to that comment from Alvarez. “I’ll tell you this — if Eddie can beat Justin, I can definitely beat Justin. I won’t just TKO him. I believe I’ll knock Gaethje out cold. I’ll keep a high pace just like Eddie did. It will be a very fun fight. It’s a fight people want to see,” responded Chandler.

Chandler being the nice guy he is had some words of respect for Alvarez too. “I appreciate Eddie,” Chandler said. “Eddie’s a guy, I spent almost 50 minutes in the cage with. We never got that trilogy to happen so maybe sometime down the line, we can make it happen. It’s all part of it,” Michael said that a trilogy with Eddie is something he forward to.

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Also read: Former Bellator champion Rory MacDonald says fighters outside the UFC are just as dangerous