Gaethje bloodies Chandler to win decision after brawl

Another lightweight title shot could be in Justin Gaethje's future after he returned to the win column in his top contender match against Michael Chandler.

Gaethje defeated Chandler via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) in a "Fight of the Year" candidate at UFC 268 on Saturday in New York.

The former interim champion said in his postfight interview he believes he should face the winner of the December title bout between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.

"Who else?" said Gaethje, who bounced back from an October 2020 submission loss to then-lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Gaethje and Chandler threw heavy leather on the feet for 15 minutes. Chandler started strong, rocking Gaethje in the first round, but Gaethje gained momentum the longer the fight went.

He dropped Chandler in the second round, battering him with jabs and a variety of strikes down the stretch.

Gaethje is now 5-1 in his last six Octagon outings. He won the interim belt in May 2020 against Tony Ferguson before falling short to Nurmagomedov in a title unifier. Gaethje has only lost once since 2018.

Chandler, a former Bellator lightweight champion who signed with the UFC last year, is now 1-2 in the promotion. He won his debut with a first-round TKO of Dan Hooker in January but then lost to Oliveira in a vacant title fight in May.