Michael Chandler has bestowed substantial admiration upon Conor McGregor for his adeptness in psychological warfare.
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As anticipation builds for the official declaration of their impending UFC showdown, Michael Chandler has bestowed substantial admiration upon Conor McGregor for his adeptness in psychological warfare.
The announcement of McGregor vs. Chandler was first unveiled back in February, coinciding with their participation in the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, critical details such as the fight date, venue, and weight class remained unconfirmed. Despite the absence of an official confirmation for the bout, McGregor recently indicated that it is slated for December.
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During a conversation with former UFC champion Daniel Cormier on ESPN, Chandler expressed on Tuesday, August 15th: “You know I’m ready, I’m always staying in shape. If it could happen by the end of the year, that would be absolutely phenomenal. You know I’m ready tomorrow.
“But if it spills over into 2024, either way [it’s] the most exciting guy in the sport – myself – versus the biggest star in the sport. People are gonna tune in, and we’re gonna put butts in seats.
“I can’t wait to go in there, step in the Octagon, and fight this man – whenever it happens.”
McGregor, the Irish contender, remains outside the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s monitoring regimen, rendering him ineligible to engage in competition for a minimum of six months, unless special dispensation is granted. Chandler, hailing from the United States, conceded that McGregor’s absence from the drug testing regime does raise concerns in his mind regarding their scheduled bout.
“That’s definitely one aspect of it, obviously,” Chandler said. “Even that, too – is he training? I don’t know how much he’s training. We see him on boats more than we see him hitting bags, I’ll tell you that much.”
Aged 35 and 37 respectively, McGregor and Chandler took on the roles of rival coaches during this summer’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter, culminating in the upcoming finale this week. During a heated exchange on the UFC television program, McGregor made physical contact by pushing Chandler in the face. Reflecting on the incident, Chandler shared, “He mushed my face, and some day he’s gonna pay for it,” Chandler said. “Until then, it’s just funny on TV.
“The great thing about Conor, and I will give him some huge props here, is he would go three or four days of trying to be my friend, and then all of a sudden he’d flip the script and go completely nuts on me – or hit a little deeper of a cut to really try to get under my skin. You never quite knew which Conor you would get.”
The former two-division champion, McGregor, entered the Octagon for his most recent fight in July 2021, encountering a fractured leg in a consecutive defeat to Dustin Poirier. On the other hand, Chandler’s most recent bout took place in November, where he faced a submission loss at the hands of Poirier.
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