After a two-year hiatus, the MMA leader returned to action in New York with a stacked card at UFC 268. An epic lightweight clash between Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje was the opening fight on the night.
The fight between the two was rescheduled as the opening bout of the night in order to allow Trevor Wittman enough time to attend to all of his fighters who were initially set to fight consecutively.
In the build-up to the fight, both men promised fans and pundits alike that it would be fireworks from the get-go. Chandler went one step ahead and made a bold prediction that Gaethje would be done in one.
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The bout lived up to all the hype it had garnered over the last few weeks. ‘Iron’ and ‘Chandler’ swung leather from the very first minute of the fight. Both men had the other hurt badly at various points in time.
However, both fighters somehow persevered and put on an epic three-round bloody fight that had the fans on their feet the entire time. Needless to say, Twitter was flooded with praise for both ‘Iron’ and ‘The Highlight’. Here are some of the best reactions to the fight.
Twitter reacts as Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler deliver on all the hype at UFC 268
Steve-O was hyped for the first fight on the main card.
Let’s GO!!! #UFC268 kicking off with the ultimate banger…@Justin_Gaethje vs. @MikeChandlerMMA is gonna be insane!!!
— Steve-O (@steveo) November 7, 2021
John Hyon Ko had an apt comparison for Gaethje vs Chandler.
Gaethje/Chandler is the equivalent of two fighter jets crashing head on. Just complete carnage. #UFC268
— John Hyon Ko (@JHKMMA) November 7, 2021
Robbie Glover was team Gaethje tonight.
So nervous about this fight, let's go Gaethje!!! Come on!!! ❤️🔥🙏🏼💯👊🏼 #UFC268 @ufc
— Robbie Glover (@robbieglover) November 7, 2021
Ben Kiely shared his thoughts.
Violence is golden. #UFC268
— Ben Kiely (@TheJivemaster) November 7, 2021
Marc Raimondi could not have been more spot on with his assessment.
Gaethje vs. Chandler is about as close to a can’t-miss action fight as you’re going to get. Let’s go. #UFC268
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) November 7, 2021
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya shared an epic tweet.
Who gets to do their back flip off the cage?! #UFC268 #Violence #JustBleed pic.twitter.com/lQsqz8MCus
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) November 7, 2021
Chris Pratt was not wrong when he said the main card will be insane.
AND HERE WE GO!!! Huge night of fights! This main card is gonna be insane. #UFC268
— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) November 7, 2021
Sean Sheehan had an interesting take after round one.
Let's trust the judges on round 1. Everyone watching is too excited to score it properly 🤣 #UFC268
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) November 7, 2021
Safe to say the fight lived up to all the expectations Brett Okamoto had.
How is this somehow even better than we imagined?
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 7, 2021
Chandler vs Gaethje got a stamp of approval from Ben Askren.
Well this fight is EXACTLY as advertised!
— Funky (@Benaskren) November 7, 2021
Ryan Frederick had Gaethje ahead going into round three.
10-8 Gaethje in the second, 19-18 Gaethje going into the third. #UFC268
— Ryan Frederick (@ryanjfrederick) November 7, 2021
Tony Ferguson commented on an epic display by both men.
Lots Of Heart In Round 2 @ufc #ufc268
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) November 7, 2021
Jon Jones echoed the sentiments of fight fans all around the world.
I’m gonna need to see Michael and Justin fight for five rounds
— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 7, 2021
Daniel Cormier heaped praise on Gaethje and Chandler.
That was one of the craziest fights I’ve seen in a long time. Someone asked if this had potential to be fight of the year. I say it’s on a very short list. Great job men @Justin_Gaethje and @MikeChandlerMMA
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) November 7, 2021
Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was impressed, to say the least.
What a crazy fight !!! 😳 #ufc268
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 7, 2021
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The UFC Twitter page shared an insane clip from the fight.
This fight is absolutely BANANAS 😳
[ #UFC268 | The Main Card is LIVE on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/xRVlqJBhNX ] pic.twitter.com/V8bBN8A2kt— UFC (@ufc) November 7, 2021
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What did you make of the UFC 268 fight between Chandler and Gaethje? Is it one of the best fights you’ve seen in the UFC? Let us know in the comments below!