"I don't think he has confidence in his abilities" - when Michael Chandler broke down Justin Gaethje's fighting style

Years before Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje was even a remote possibility, the two-time Bellator lightweight champion gave an assessment of the man he's about to face at UFC 268.

As a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Chandler made some interesting comments about Gaethje's unconventional fighting style. The Missouri native said:

"When I look at [Justin Gaethje], it's not a knock on him or anything, I just don't think he has the confidence in his abilities. There's a fine line between having confidence in your abilities – confidence in your striking techniques – and your ability to win any other way than a brawl."

Chandler made it clear that he was in no way taking a jibe at Gaethje and added that he's sympathetic to his fellow lightweight star. 'Iron' even revealed that he had his own bouts of self-doubt earlier in his pro-fighting career:

"Because I've had these thoughts too. The thought of me outclassing somebody and piecing them up with the whole world and hearing the announcers say, 'Oh my God! Michael Chandler's striking is on another level. Look at this! How he strings his punches with his kicks, this and that.' That felt foreign and it felt uncomfortable to me because I didn't 100% truly believe that stuff until recently. And I think he only has the capacity to believe in himself as a brawler. Therefore, that's the only way he knows how to win. Therefore, I bet we could watch him and he's the same Justin Gaethje in his sparring rounds as he is in the cage."

Watch the interview below:

This, of course, was three years ago, when Michael Chandler was still with Bellator and Justin Gaethje was coming off back-to-back losses against Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier. Much has changed since then, as is evident from Gaethje's masterful performance against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje on lock

Former UFC title challengers Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje have reportedly agreed to fight at the promotion's November 6 pay-per-view. The location for UFC 268 hasn't been finalized yet, but Madison Square Garden in New York appears to be the target.

Ohhhh boy. Here we go, folks. Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje). Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA). Verbally agreed, per sources. UFC 268 PPV. No official date or venue for that PPV just yet, but the target is Nov. 6, Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/Z75u2nlmv2

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 30, 2021

The main event will see a championship rematch between reigning UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Meanwhile, Chandler vs. Gaethje is expected to serve as the event's co-featured bout.