Michael Chandler Won’t Get COVID-19 Vaccine Despite FDA Approval: “I Don’t Want One”

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight contender Michael Chandler will not get a COVID-19 vaccine despite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Justin Gaethje vs. Chandler is being targeted for UFC 268, which tentatively takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on November 6, 2021, streaming online via ESPN + pay-per-view (PPV). News of New York’s vaccine requirements for indoor activities previously put the card at risk. And Chandler (22-6) previously said the lack of FDA approval was a big reason he wasn’t vaccinated yet.

News of the FDA approval had given fans hope that Gaethje vs. Chandler could go ahead; however, “Iron” Mike revealed on Monday that he still does not have immediate plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

” I do not want it. FDA approval or not. Real enough for you? I have no problem with people getting it. We all have a choice, “he replied to a fan on Twitter.” It’s mine. “

Chandler previously explained on Instagram Live how FDA approval would play a role in his vaccine status.

“It’s not that I’m anti-vax. It’s not that I don’t believe in the vaccine, necessarily. I’m just not going to get the vaccine until it’s 100% approved by the FDA, ”he explained (h / t MMA Junkie). “We’ve had hundreds of clinical trials, just like we’ve had the vaccines my son got – measles and chickenpox and all the vaccines that have been around for 100 years and have been proven to work. We will see. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

“More than anything, the chances that the UFC could sell Madison Square Garden with only people vaccinated really reduce their ability to sell Madison Square Garden,” Chandler continued. “So I don’t really know. I think that calls into question whether Madison Square Garden is actually going to happen, to be honest with you guys. The UFC is brilliant and geniuses at putting things together and organizing their fights. But like I said, I’m not anti-vaccine. I think vaccines are effective. I think it’s up to everyone to choose if they want to be vaccinated. I won’t be vaccinated by November 6, so I won’t be able to perform or entertain at Madison Square Garden. So we’ll see. “

UFC 268 is set to be titled with a UFC welterweight title rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

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