Sherdog’s 2021 Round of the Year

Given that Justin Gaethje-Michael Chandler on Nov. 6 won Sherdog’s “Fight of the Year” for 2021, it should come as little surprise that the opening frame of their UFC 268 encounter, its crown jewel, also wins “Round of the Year.”

Gaethje and Chandler both rank among the most exciting fighters in the sport, and they are especially potent in the first round. For the first five minutes, Chandler—a tremendous blend of speed, accuracy and power—may easily be the best lightweight on the planet. He dropped Charles Oliveira and was a whisker away from finishing the Brazilian in the opening stanza as part of a dominant 10-8 round at UFC 262, and he owns an amazing 13 first-round finishes in 22 wins. Similarly, Gaethje jumps on opponents from the opening bell with his hellacious mix of leg kicks and punches. He has obliterated excellent counterparts like Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza in less than five minutes and boasts an impressive total of nine first-round destructions among his own 23 victories.

However, MMA is tricky and unpredictable. Just because Gaethje-Chandler had so much hype about its potential excitement did not mean it had to be so. One need only recall Francis Ngannou facing Derrick Lewis in what was set to be a titanic showdown between arguably the two greatest knockout artists in heavyweight history, only to see it devolve into one of the most boring fights ever witnessed. That certainly applies to Round 1, as well. Perhaps Gaethje and/or Chandler would have too much respect for the other’s offense. Maybe they would approach the battle more carefully.

Of course, nothing of the sort happened. Two of the most electric Round 1 fighters in MMA history collided and made magic, surpassing even the loftiest of expectations. Normally, we consider a round excellent and memorable if it features two huge swings in momentum. For instance, Fighter A badly hurting Fighter B with strikes, only for Fighter B to come back and badly hurt Fighter A. In the first round of Gaethje-Chandler, I counted no fewer than eight such major swings.

It was a round straight out of a movie, with both men repeatedly cracking each other with vicious, accurate leg kicks and punches to the head. Early in the stanza, Chandler was getting the best of Gaethje, tagging him with brutal right hands and his own powerful leg kicks, all while nimbly leaping clear of the former World Series of Fighting champion’s attempted counters with the hands. However, he was eating many of the leg kicks. Gaethje started finding a rhythm closer to the middle of the round, hitting Chandler with his own ruthless rights on several exchanges and landing more and more leg kicks. Suddenly, Chandler walloped him with a gorgeous 1-2 that would have knocked out many lesser men. Not Gaethje. Still recovering, Gaethje returned fire with a massive left hook that had the three-time Bellator MMA champion backing up, only for Chandler to nail him with a crazy jumping knee, after which he unleashed a brutal barrage of punches. Against the fence, Gaethje recovered again and both men swung with reckless abandon as the crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York erupted into a frenzy. Gaethje got the better of it, giving himself some breathing room as Chandler was already visibly slowing down. Soon after, Gaethje delivered a monster uppercut, with Chandler proving that his “Iron” nickname applies to his chin, too. While not quite as explosive, Chandler still hurt Gaethje with a 1-2 and an uppercut of his own in retaliation. The final minute, however, was all Gaethje, as he punished Chandler with an array of leg kicks, right crosses, left hooks and uppercuts.

There is a saying that one can win a battle but lose the war, and that certainly applies in this case. While I, along with two of the three cageside judges and a majority of media and fans, had Chandler edging out Round 1, it was clear as it neared its end that he was slowing down far more than Gaethje. Indeed, Gaethje went on to clearly win the last two rounds and a unanimous decision. Nevertheless, Chandler can take some solace in winning one of the most exciting rounds in MMA history. It was the clear choice for Sherdog’s 2021 “Round of the Year.”