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Michael Chandler has claimed he has been asking the UFC to pit him against Justin Gaethje, but his repeated requests have fallen on deaf ears. The former Bellator superstar said Gaethje declined to fight him at least "three or four times."
Chandler added that he's confused as to why Gaethje and his camp have shown no interest in the potential bout despite the fact that he is ranked #4 in the lightweight division.
"I'll tell you what, I've said Justin Gaethje's name no less than a 100 times since I've signed with the organization," said Chandler during a Q&A session on his Instagram. "He has been asked to fight me three or four different times; every time he has declined. He and I rank two spots away from each other. He hasn't fought since last October. He needs to get a fight if he thinks he's gonna fight for the title. For some reason, him and his camp have no interest in fighting me."
Michael Chandler signed with the UFC in August 2020. After serving as the backup fighter for the UFC 254 main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, 'Iron' successfully made his promotional debut against Dan Hooker in January of this year.
He challenged Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 262 but was defeated via TKO in the second round.
Chandler's Instagram live session was later uploaded to TheMacLife's YouTube channel, which you can watch below:
Michael Chandler reveals he expects to return to the octagon in November/December
Speaking about his UFC return, Michael Chandler said fans will most likely see him fight again in November or December this year.
"When am I coming back? There are some big shows in November and some big shows in December. That's what I'm planning on. I needed a little time to recalibrate, heal up, take care of my body, take care of family," said Micahel Chandler.
Michael Chandler said he has been in training camp since March of last year when the COVID-19 pandemic gripped most of the world. He sustained some damage in his previous bout against Charles Oliveira, which forced him to take a break from the fight game.
