Gaethje Vs. Chandler Targeted For UFC 268 In NYC

Top lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler are expected to meet at the upcoming UFC 268 PPV event currently targeted for Nov. 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

This is according to a recent report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who also revealed that the two lightweights have only verbally agreed to the matchup.

Gaethje, 32, hasn’t fought since his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 back in Oct. 2020. “Highlight” is hoping that one win puts him back in title contention at 155 pounds. With a 4-1 record in his last five trips to the Octagon and a potential win over Chandler at his fingertips it’s possible Gaethje can lock down another shot at the lightweight crown with a decisive showing his next out.

Chandler, 35, burst onto the UFC scene with a blistering first-round knockout finish over Dan Hooker in his Octagon debut on “Fight Island” back in January. That victory earned Chandler a matchup with Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight strap at UFC 262 this past May. Chandler nearly stopped “Do Bronx” in the first round before getting finished by TKO in the second. A win over Gaethje could land Chandler right back in the title mix as well.

As of now, UFC 268 is expected to be headlined by a welterweight rematch between current UFC champion Kamaru Usman and rival Colby Covington. It’s safe to say that the UFC 268 card will turn out to be one of the most stacked UFC events of the year as the promotion tries to bring live fighting back to NYC.

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