"My right ankle is still a little bit creaky" - Michael Chandler reflects on damage suffered in Justin Gaethje fight 

Michael Chandler has shared that he is still feeling the effects of the damage his body sustained during his three-round war against Justin Gaethje at UFC 268.

By the end of his barnburner against Gaethje, Chandler's bruised and bloody face told the story of how violent the fight was. 'Iron', while speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, revealed that the punishment his body and legs took during the bout lasted longer than he'd expected.

Chandler said:

"It took a while [for me to physically recover from that fight]. We had a lot of soft tissue damage. Obviously, the face is the most telling, but the face luckily healed up pretty quick... Really just soft tissue damage. I also took a lot of leg kicks and my left leg was pretty beat up... My right foot, the right ankle is still a bit creaky when I wake up in the morning. But it was probably 6 weeks, where I felt like I was able to train a 100%."

Watch the full interview below:

Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje locked horns in a 'Fight of the Year' contender at UFC 268 in Madison Square Garden, New York. The duo engaged in an all-out slugfest that saw them land multiple heavy blows on one another.

The first round in particular was one of the best rounds of the year. Gaethje managed to control the pace of the fight in the next two rounds to come away with a unanimous decision victory.

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Michael Chandler wants Justin Gaethje rematch in end of 2022

Michael Chandler expressed his desire to face Justin Gaethje in a rematch at the end of 2022. After their barnburner at UFC 268, 'Iron' wants to avenge his loss against the former interim lightweight champion. 'Iron' believes that the two lightweights could cross paths yet again.

During a recent appearance on MMA Fighting's The Fighter vs. The Writer, Chandler said:

"I think that fight was the epitome of me out there performing and enjoying my life, enjoying what I do, enjoying my calling and it was the first time I got my hand grabbed by the referee and I did not care who got their hand raised... I love my life and I love that this fight was a part of my career. There is no doubt that the vast majority of people were extremely entertained by that fight and would love to see me fight Justin Gaethje again. Maybe it will be for the title by the end of 2022. We will see."

Watch the full interview below:

Michael Chandler currently holds a 22-7 record in his professional MMA career and is 1-2 in the UFC.

Fresh off a string of high-profile matchups in 2021, Chandler is in search of his next opponent. The UFC lightweight recently revealed that he's expecting to fight either Conor McGregor or Tony Ferguson in his next fight. 'Iron' also expressed an interest in fighting Nate Diaz as well.