Michael Chandler has called for a fight against Conor McGregor since the day he signed with the UFC and now he’ll get his wish.
The former Bellator lightweight champion will face off with McGregor while coaching The Ultimate Fighter 31. Then they’ll clash in what will likely be one of the biggest fights in 2023, though an exact date and location are still to be determined. While there’s still a lot of time to pass before they get in the octagon together, Chandler already has a pretty good idea of what to expect from McGregor.
“Conor and I both start extremely fast,” Chandler told ESPN. “That cage door closes, Bruce Buffer announces us, that bell dings and we both try to meet in the center of the octagon trying to make the other guy take a backwards step first.
“Conor more in a larger, wider, take-up-more-space stance, to kind of project that domineering spirit of himself. Me more like a missile coming at you, making you feel my presence right away, I want to get my hands on you.”
While he commends McGregor’s defense – the Irish superstar will slip punches and then deliver a blistering counter strike of his own – Chandler is fully confident he’ll eventually land on target, and it only takes one shot to end the fight.
“If he lands one on the button, it’s going to be a rough night for me. If I land one on the button, it’s going to be a rough night for him, but which one of us can do it?” Chandler said.
“I’m going to get in his face, make him take a backwards step right away. He’s going to feel my presence from the very beginning of the fight and then from there wherever the fight takes us. If I want to pick him up and put him down, I can pick him up and put him down and put a beating on him and get a submission that way. I believe I finish Conor in the second round. That’s my ‘Mystic Mike’ take on this, later on this year whenever it is.”
McGregor has taken a friendlier approach in some of his more recent fights, particularly with his matchup against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and then Dustin Poirier for their rematch at UFC 257.
After losing to Poirier by knockout, McGregor transformed into a totally different person ahead of the trilogy at UFC 264. He became rather personal in his attacks, which included several ugly messages aimed at Poirier’s wife.
For his part, Chandler says there are absolutely comments that he would consider to be out of bounds, but he doesn’t know if McGregor will go that far with him or not.
If McGregor decides to go that route, Chandler admits that might ignite a fight before they actually meet in the cage ever or perhaps he’ll just weather the storm and say nothing in return. One thing is for certain, Chandler promises that he’s ready for whatever McGregor throws at him.
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