Michael Chandler claims Conor McGregor might retire after receiving “beatdown of biblical proportions” at UFC 303
Michael Chandler is set to make his return to the octagon in just over two months as his highly-anticipated bout against Conor McGregor has officially been announced. After over a year of teasing the bout, the pair will finally share the octagon at UFC 303 in June. 'Iron' recently revealed that he could send 'The Notorious' to retirement.
Speaking in a Q&A on his Instagram, the No.7-ranked lightweight stated:
"This is going to be the biggest fight of the last five years. This will be the biggest fight since Conor vs. Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. I don’t say that because Conor’s opponent is just as big as Khabib, who was the biggest Muslim athlete on the planet, undefeated, championship fight. But there’s something special about this one. On June 29, you have to buy the pay-per-view, and you have to buy the pay-per-view because there’s a chance this is the greatest comeback in combat sports history by the sport’s biggest star."
He continued:
"That’s why you have to buy the pay-per-view. Or the other option, the more likely option, is I absolutely molly wop this dude and put a beatdown of biblical proportions on him, and this is the last time you ever see Conor McGregor compete inside the octagon. So either way, you have to tune in on June 29. UFC 303 is going to be the most-viewed and the biggest pay-per-view that we have ever seen for a multitude of reasons." [h/t MMA Junkie]
Chandler believes that he will finish McGregor in the second round. It will mark his first bout since he faced a submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022.
Meanwhile, 'The Notorious' suffered a leg injury during his loss against Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
Michael Chandler never doubted that he would face Conor McGregor
While there were many who questioned whether or not Michael Chandler was making the right decision by waiting for a Conor McGregor, 'Iron' never doubted his choice. Speaking on his Instagram, Chandler stated:
"I never really doubted it as much as you guys did. I had a lot more reassurances behind the scenes than you guys know about. I just knew it was going to take time."
Check out Michael Chandler's reaction to the announcement of his upcoming fight below:
Michael Chandler faced criticism for remaining inactive for nearly a year and a half waiting for the bout to come to fruition. Ultimately, however, it appears that 'Iron' is content with his inactivity.