Justin Gaethje doesn't like Michael Chandler, tells him 'it'll be fun to punch you in the face'

Justin Gaethje isn’t the type who needs added motivation to get into a fist fight. However, he said he had some extra steam going into his UFC 268 clash with Michael Chandler.

Gaethje (22-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is expected to meet Chandler (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on Nov. 6 in a high-stakes lightweight fight. It’s a bout that’s been brewing for several months, with both men claiming the other has avoided agreeing to it.

Whether it stems from that drama or something else entirely, Gaethje said he’s no fan of Chandler. Because of that, he’s quite eager to get his hands on the former Bellator champ.

“I got nothing mean to say,” Gaethje said on Friday’s UFC 265 weigh-in show, where Chandler served as a co-host. “We do mean things to each other one night a year. It’s been a while since I fought someone I didn’t like. For some reason you’re a little different. I think it was James Vick, the last guy I fought that I didn’t like. It’ll be fun to punch you in the face.”

Justin Gaethje: It'll be fun to punch you in the face.
Michael Chandler: You know, I think that'll be fun too.

This exchange between @Justin_Gaethje and @MikeChandlerMMA (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/wz2stRMylW

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 6, 2021

UFC 268 is currently planned to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, according to company president Dana White. However, rising COVID-19 cases across the U.S., paired with recently implemented vaccination mandates in New York, leaves the event taking place there in question.

Those mandates could potentially derail the bout, with Chandler already openly stating he won’t be vaccinated by November. Gaethje said he doesn’t want to fight in New York, anyway, and thinks the event will ultimately be relocated.

“I don’t think it’ll be in New York City,” Gaethje said. “I think it’ll be in probably Texas or something, somewhere way sweeter than New York City. New York City sucks. Anywhere outside of that place, and we’ll be good to go.”

Wherever it happens, Gaethje, who hasn’t competed since a lightweight title unification loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in October, is keen to mix it up with Chandler inside the octagon.

He thinks Chandler has a very punchable face, and Gaethje can’t wait to create more of the violence he’s become so well known for when the cage door finally locks behind them.

“I’m excited to fight someone I don’t like,” Gaethje said. “It’s been a while. I have no reason not to like you. Something about your face just makes me want to punch it.”