Justin Gaethje believes he will be fighting for UFC gold after UFC 268.

On the main card of the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden, Gaethje is set to fight Michael Chandler in a potential number one contender bout. It’s Gaethje’s first fight since he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the belt in October of 2020 but he is confident he will not only get the win but will KO Chandler to get the next title shot.

“Chandler is fast, explosive. He has no control or influence on how I’ll fight. I’ll step backward if I want to and I’ll step forwards, sideways whenever I want to,” Gaethje said on the second episode of the UFC 268 embedded. “What he says about me and fighting is irrelevant. When I go out there and knock him out I’m guaranteed a title shot after that. It’s everything that I’m trying to get.”

If Justin Gaethje does get a KO win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268 then perhaps he does fight for the belt next. Islam Makhachev has said he deserves the next crack, but “The Highlight” is a fan-favorite and a former interim lightweight champion. He also had a Fight of the Year contender scrap against Dustin Poirier and would be a fresh matchup for Charles Oliveira, so it does make some sense for him to fight for the belt next time out.

Gaethje, as mentioned, has not fought since UFC 254 in October of 2020 as he suffered a second-round submission to Nurmagomedov for the undisputed lightweight title. Prior to that, he scored a fifth-round TKO over Tony Ferguson to win the interim lightweight title. The victory was his fourth in a row after scoring first-round knockout wins over Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and James Vick.

Do you think Justin Gaethje should fight for the belt if he finishes Michael Chandler at UFC 268?