UFC star Michael Chandler is forced to wear an ice mask after his face was 'unrecognisable to his son' after a brutal Gaethje fight

MICHAEL CHANDLER was injured in a battle with Justin Gaethje, and needed an ice mask to reduce swelling.

Gatheje and the former lightweight champion of Bellator met last weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The fierce 155-pounders fought for their lives. Gaethje, the former interim titleholder, won by unanimous decision.

Even though Chandler had been out of the contest for a few days, he was still suffering from a severe swelling on his face. He tried to remove it with an ice mask.

In an Instagram video, he said to his son Hap that his father had made "very bad decisions" in the last fight. His face was virtually unrecognizable.

"I would like to wear this freeze mask to speed up the healing process so that you, my son can see me better very soon.

"I love and cherish you, my son. I will see you at The Top."

After their epic slugfest, both Chandler and Gaethje were taken to the hospital.

Chandler live-streamed the ambulance ride, but tried to hide it from his viewers by using an alien filter.

He said, "Fudge. He said: "Fudge.

"So, I look like a superhuman to you guys.

"So instead of doing an ambulance, I mean an Alien in an ambulance video. Logan is here.

"My other alien friend. That was a great experience. Thank you for your support.

The 35-year old also posted a reflection on his Fight of the Night with the Highlight on Instagram. He wrote: "We made some questionable choices in the last one but we had a blast!"

"What a great camp at Sanford MMA. My coaches and training partners deserve a huge thank you.

"So happy to be back with Brie Chandler & Hapman. To all the fans: Thank you for your support throughout this journey.

"The best is yet! "See you at the top!"

Gaethje wrote about his Instagram win column return, saying: "All glory goes to God."

"I didn't leave tonight without Trevor Wittman's wall strapping me in another way."