Oddsmakers installed Justin Gaethje as the favorite over Michael Chandler for their bout at UFC 268 in New York City on Nov. 6.

Justin Gaethje early favorite to beat Michael Chandler at UFC 268

The early odds came from BetMGM, the first of the major sportsbooks in the United States to set a line. Gaethje is the favorite at -175 to win, and the money line on Chandler is +145.

Both fighters lost in their previous bouts and were scheduled to fight at UFC 262. Instead, the 35-year-old Chandler was granted a title shot and lost in a second-round knockout to new lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

The pair of top-five ranked lightweights are ranked at second (Gaethje) and fourth (Chandler) respectively.

Gaethje has been less than pleased that Chandler got a swing at gold. The 32-year-old’s last fight was a submission to now-retired former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in their October 2020 matchup.

Interest in the fight really picked up recently when Chandler suggested that the Colorado native has avoided fighting him on three separate occasions. It was an allegation Gaethje would take to Twitter to respond to.

“[Michael Chandler] is talking out of his ass,” Gaethje posted on Twitter. “I was waiting for the bout agreement 3 weeks into camp and wake up to news his daddy Dana gave him the shot.”

The winner of this fight is likely to be next in line to face the winner of the planned title fight between Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.

BetMGM also posted odds for another UFC 268 fight. That being Colby Covington is the underdog at +225 to Kamaru Usman at -275 for their welterweight title rematch that is expected to headline the card inside New York’s Madison Square Garden.

–Field Level Media