UFC lightweight Michael Chandler has denied being an anti-vaxxer after facing heavy scrutiny on social media.
Chandler's Covid-19 vaccination stance put his UFC 268 fight with Justin Gaethje in jeopardy, as New York state issued a mandate for proof of vaccination for various indoor activities throughout the city.
The 35-year-old - who is not vaccinated - said he wouldn't get the jab until it was fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
And despite the FDA recently approving both the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccinations, Chandler is yet to receive the vaccine.
He doubled down on his comments about not being an anti-vaxxer and said it's his own choice.
“The funny thing about the vaccination thing was I didn’t come out, I didn’t do one story and tell people about the vaccine, I didn’t get on your show and started talking about the vaccine," he said on The MMA Hour.
"I was in a private Instagram live session with a couple thousand people or whatever it was.
"Five minutes after I hit ‘End Live,’ it was MMA Junkie or one of the MMA media outlets came out and said ‘Chandler isn’t getting vaxxed,’ and I got labeled an anti-vaxxer.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer. I don’t personally have the vaccine right now, I don’t know if I will ever get the vaccine.
UFC president Dana White said last month that he would "never" force fighters on the roster to get the vaccine.
Whilst New York's mandate is still in place, it's unclear what the UFC's policy regarding unvaccinated fighters competing in the state are.
Chandler made his UFC debut in January when he knocked out Dan Hooker. He went on to fight Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title in May but lost by second round submission.
He continued by stating that he wasn't advising others to not get the vaccine but just sharing his own stance on the jab.
What do you think of Chandler's stance on the Covid-19 vaccine? Let us know in the comments below
He said : "Personally, I just believe that we live in the greatest country on the planet. I believe that this is the greatest country on the planet because of our individual liberties and our individual choices.
"Especially when it comes to our bodies and our medical history, and our health.
“If I had hopped on and done a media tour about how I’m not taking the vaccine, or I was telling everybody (that) the vaccine was garbage or something, of course, that would be me seeking attention.
"I was in a private Instagram on my own IG Live with my followers and a couple of thousand people that were asking questions about it. And then the article broke and came out.”
