Michael Chandler teases how he’d fare against Conor McGregor, despite choosing Charles Oliveira over him
Michael Chandler is preparing himself to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 but has not yet taken his mind off Conor McGregor. After spending two years pursuing a fight with 'The Notorious,' Chandler admitted that he is still eyeing that fight in his future.
The former Bellator champion appeared in an interview with the Mulligan Brothers that was released days after his fight with Oliveira was announced. In the conversation, 'Iron' gave his thoughts on the hypothetical matchup with McGregor regardless of the situation, saying he still believes he would come out on top.
Chandler said:
"I do believe that I knock [Conor McGregor] out in the second round. Immediately from the first bell, I meet him in the center, and I immediately start making him second guess himself. He's gonna go downhill quick and I'm gonna see an opening and get the finish."
Check out Michael Chandler's comments below:
Despite being 38, Chandler still believes that his work ethic is his main strength and McGregor's lack thereof leaves him vulnerable. The former NCAA wrestler pointed out McGregor's "lavish lifestyle" as his reason for believing that the Irishman is not as concerned about his fighting career.
Chandler continued:
"My standard for what hard work is is so much higher than so many people I come into contact with, let alone Conor... The lavish lifestyle that he has, enjoying the money that he has... all of those things take you away from the main thing [which is] just the work."
Check out Mulligan Brothers' full interview with Michael Chandler below:
Michael Chandler will co-headline UFC 309 instead of fighting Conor McGregor
If Michael Chandler is to get the fight he wants with Conor McGregor, it will have to wait at least a few more months as 'Iron' will first rematch Charles Oliveira in November.
As the UFC announced on the Noche UFC 306 broadcast, the rematch of the UFC 262 lightweight title fight will be the co-main event of UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden.
Since their first fight, Chandler has gone just 1-2, losing to Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier but beating Tony Ferguson. Oliveira has been much more successful with successive wins over Poirier and Gaethje before losing the belt to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
In the time since Chandler last fought at UFC 281, Oliveira has gone 1-1, knocking out Beneil Dariush but losing to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300.