UFC 268’s main card will be kicking off with an absolute banger, as Justin “The Highlight Reel†Gaethje takes on “Iron†Mike Chandler with rumors that the winner is to fight for the UFC Lightweight World Championship.
The news comes from Ariel Helwani’s ‘The MMA Hour’.
In a post to Instagram, Helwani noted, “Thinking is so Coach Trevor Wittman can have time to help Namajunas and Usman prepare rather than going back-to-back-to-back.â€
This means that the bout will happen before the Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo fight and the Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera fight.
Gaethje spoke on the opportunity at a title shot on media day, “If I win Saturday and I don’t get a shot, I riot,” Gaethje said. “There’s no way I can let that happen and go away quietly.â€
After Islam Makhachev’s performance at UFC 267 this past Saturday, there was some talk about him getting the next shot at the title. In the post-fight interview, he said that he deserves the next shot, “I’m ready for title fight… I know when I take him down, I can finish everywhere. My grappling level is much better than all these guys in this division… This is MMA. MMA ground game, I have the best in the division. (sic)â€
Whatever happens this Saturday, the UFC Lightweight division will continue to be one of the most exciting divisions in combat sports.
UFC 268 streams live on PPV this Saturday, only on ESPN+.
