"People think he's a superhero" - Michael Chandler explains why Conor McGregor is still wildly popular despite questionable tweets
The popularity of Conor McGregor is one of the most polarizing sentiments in the world of mixed martial arts.
The Irishman has a very loyal fanbase who loves and supports him despite his questionable words and actions. On the other side, there is a large group of people who show absolute contempt towards Conor McGregor on social media.
Either way, people keep talking about the former two-division UFC champion. Lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes it is because of his magnetic persona.
During the UFC 265 fight week, Michael Chandler discussed McGregor in an interview with Helen Yee. He shared what he thinks of Conor McGregor getting way too personal in the trash-talk he aimed at Dustin Poirier and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
According to 'Iron Mike', the character Conor McGregor portrays, whether it is real or not, is the reason he continues to draw the limelight and is still the biggest megastar of the sport:
"I'm sure he has sent out tweets that he regrets, I'm sure he has said things he regrets. But he has a way of captivating people. That's why we all tune in to watch Conor McGregor. He captivates you - not just your fighting senses, when you want to watch a fight, it doesn't just interest your imagination when it comes to watching fights and watching the competition. You're seeing a real life superhero to a lot of people. People think he is like a superhero. He has won only one fight in the lightweight division in the last couple of years or whatever his record is in the lightweight division, yet people think he is a superhero because of the character that he is, the character that he plays, for better or worse, whether it is real or just for the cameras or just for the shows," Michael Chandler said.
Conor McGregor, who has always been known for not pulling any punches when it comes to attacking his opponents verbally, recently crossed the line according to many.
Following his post-fight comments at UFC 264 aimed at his opponent Dustin Poirier and his wife Jolie, Conor McGregor recently took to Twitter. He made certain questionable comments about his former arch rival Khabib Nurmagomedov's late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away last year due to COVID-19.
Conor McGregor later deleted the tweets, but it was online long enough for the MMA Twitterverse to catch on.
Michael Chandler hopes Conor McGregor gets to stay off Twitter soon
Michael Chandler believes the reason Conor McGregor is going off at people on social media is because he is bored while recovering from his broken leg. His idleness has given way to the "devil":
"I think Conor is bored right now, he's doing rehab and trying to work out with his leg. So, idle hands are the devil's playground. I wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully he gets the boot off, gets his leg set up, so he can get out there and train and stay off the Twitter," Michael Chandler added.
Watch the full interview below: