Justin Gaethje likens Michael Chandler to Daniel Cormier, UFC legend says: "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult"

Daniel Cormier recently disclosed to Michael Chandler about his conversation with Justin Gaethje. Interestingly, Cormier is still thinking about whether it was a positive or negative statement.

Chandler fought Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 and Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. Despite sharing the octagon with 'Iron,' Gaethje and Poirier have thrown shade at the former lightweight title challenger.

Set to take on Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314, Chandler appeared in a recent episode of the Daniel Cormier Check-In series, where Cormier shared an interesting conversation he had with Gaethje.

'DC' had always liked Chandler, and Gaethje, who is a close friend of the UFC Hall of Famer, speculated why it is so. Cormier revealed his conversation with Gaethje:

"He goes, 'I'll tell you why you like him.' He goes, 'Because you're like Michael Chandler, being that you're a competitor and such a competitor that you'll be willing to do anything to win.' That's what Justin Gaethje told me. So I don't know that's a compliment or an insult."

Notably, Chandler has often faced criticism for eye poking and other fouls in his fights against Gaethje and Poirier. Incidentally, Cormier also faced the same criticism after he fought Stipe Miocic.

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (9:22):

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Michael Chandler defends himself from criticism levied by Justin Gaethje

Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje entertained the crowd with their back-and-forth war at UFC 268.

However, the fight was not without controversy. In the second round of the fight, Chandler poked Gaethje in the eye, resulting in referee Mike Beltran calling a time out. However, Chandler went on to punch 'The Highlight', much to the frustration of Gaethje.

In the aforementioned interview, Daniel Cormier mentioned Gaethje's feelings about the matter. Chandler defended himself by saying:

"If that's what he's mad at me about, why are you mad at me, dude? Like, the referee Mike Beltran of all people, who's got 6-foot-long arms, was 9 feet away and said, and it looks like he does this, but I'm over there and he's 9 feet away." (10:50)

Chandler pointed out that Gaethje should've been fighting back until the referee stopped them or the round was over, citing that it's what's instilled in wrestlers.