Could Michael Chandler be the opponent for Justin Gaethje in his next fight?
Well, current UFC welterweight champion Kumaru Usman thinks so. He was watching UFC 257 with Justin Gaethje.
And speaking on The Schmo on YouTube this week, the Nigerian stated that Michael Chandler is one opponent that could face Justin Gaethje next.
The hosts asked The Nigerian Nightmare if Chandler is someone that Gaethje would think he’s interested in fighting; Usman replied that Gaethje never underestimates his opponents and that he would welcome this fight.
“One thing about Justin, he doesn’t sleep on anybody. He’s not like ‘this guy is not worthy to step in here with me’, he welcomes that. That’s one thing that’s great about Justin Gaethje.”
Speaking further, he added that it is fight that also ‘makes sense’, as Chandler fighting for the title all of a sudden seems a bit odd.
“He would gladly welcome that fight. But, it makes sense. It’s hard to skip the number one guy, who just fought for the title. So I think that’s an amazing fight, it’s an intriguing fight. My mind is blown!”.
So who could Justin Gaethje realistically face in his next fight?
Well, going along with what Usman said, Chandler seems like the perfect opponent. The Highlight just lost the belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in October, and he hasn’t fought since.
And, Chandler impressed immensely last weekend on his UFC debut. He took out Dan “The Hangman” Hooker in round 1 via TKO.
The next step for the former Bellator lightweight world champion seems like a fight with Gaethje. Conor McGregor and Charles Oliveira could come in the picture too.
But the former is keen on a rematch with Dustin Poirier, while the latter would probably be hoping for a shot at the belt soon.
Gaethje also wants a shot at the gold. However, the Highlight claimed he wanted to get a win before going back into the title scene.
The UFC Lightweight division is filled with talented stars. And it will be interesting to see just who ends up fighting for Khabib’s belt.
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