“Maybe I Have Pissed Someone Off”- Is UFC Ignoring Justin Gaethje?

Published 03/25/2021, 6:45 AM EDT

A lot has been going on in the UFC lightweight division lately. With Khabib Nurmagomedov finally out of commission for good and the coveted title up for the grabs, there is a building intensity in the division.

Dustin Poirier just passed an opportunity for the title just to fight ‘The Notorious’ McGregor for the third time in his career and the second time this year. Hence, the title fight will see Charles Oliveira fight Michael Chandler at UFC 262.

And as the winners of these respective fights are sure to meet each other soon, there might be a lack of a challenge for Justin Gaethje.

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It’s been a curious case for Gaethje, who was a sure-shot candidate for a fight against Chandler but is now stuck in the division with no direction. A recent post on social media from The Highlight summed everything up.

I woke up yesterday to train for a matchup with Chandler on May 15th expecting a bout agreement any moment. Today that is not the case, I don’t know what I do yet but I like this feeling. It was a good day at sparring practice.
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) March 20, 2021

For a guy like Gaethje, who was on top of the world after defeating Tony Ferguson in a dominating fashion before losing to Nurmagomedov, this development must have come as a shock, not only for him but also for his fans.

In a recent interview, Gaethje did not seem very amused with Dana White and the UFC. When asked about his reaction to being left alone in a stacked division, he explained what he felt.

‘The Highlight’ said, “Can’t talk a lot about it now, me talking about it is probably the reason why I am here, who knows maybe I have pissed someone of.”

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Why didn’t the UFC make Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler for the title?

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For all the ifs and buts, UFC never really made Justin vs Chandler the title bout. If it was ever discussed, it was more of a free fight than for gold.

The reason that one can attribute to the same is that Gaethje is coming off of a loss at the hands of the Dagestani Phenom. Furthermore, Oliveira is on his most phenomenal run as he enters the title bout. He is on an eight-fight winning streak, which also includes a victory over Tony Ferguson.

Meanwhile, Chandler just rose to new heights with his debut fight against Dan Hooker, where he knocked the lights out of ‘The Hangman’.

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Do you agree with Gaethje’s reaction as to why he was overlooked for the lightweight title bout?

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Written by:

Akshyay Mahapatra is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He wished to combine his passion for the UFC (that he has been following since 2008) as well as his love for writing. This motivated him to enter the world of combat sports journalism.

“Maybe I Have Pissed Someone Off”- Is UFC Ignoring Justin Gaethje?

Why didn’t the UFC make Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler for the title?

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