Justin Gaethje is one of the most talented fighters in the UFC. The No.2 ranked lightweight fighter has an impressive record of (22-3) and is well known for his KO ability. In his last fight, “The Highlight’ had faced Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC title and lost via a 2nd round submission.

That fight took place at UFC 254 back in October 2020. Ever since that fight, Gaethje has not stepped inside the Octagon. At one point after Nurmagomedov’s retirement, it was speculated that Gaethje might fight for the UFC lightweight title. However, that was not the case, as Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira fought for the title.

During that time, there was also speculation that ‘The Highlight’ might face Max Holloway. However, that fight never happened. During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, they asked Gaethje about the same.

He said, “Max is probably my favorite fighter to watch, so I honestly don’t wanna fight the guy ever. But I needed to put myself in the title picture and if he jumps weight classes. I wasn’t sure if he’s gonna with Brian Ortega and Volkanovski being tied up on TUF.”

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“I thought maybe he would wanna come up to lightweight and try his hand with Khabib gone at the lightweight title. I mean, that was an option at the time. But didn’t work out.”

Holloway is one of the best featherweight fighters in UFC history. And while ‘The Highlight’ said that, he never wants to fight Holloway. If these two talented fighters ever faced each other, it would have been a treat for all MMA fans.

What next for Justin Gaethje?

Dustin Poirier is most probably going to challenge Charles Oliveira for the UFC title next. Therefore, that left one question in everyone’s mind ‘Who will Gaethje face next?’

Finally, the answer to that question was revealed as the UFC announced a blockbuster fight between Gaethje and Michael Chandler for UFC 268. This fight is touted to be one of the best fights of the year, as a victory for either fighter can warrant a title shot for him.

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Do you think Justin Gaethje will defeat Michael Chandler? Let us know in the comments.