"He's a lot faster and a lot more precise than Justin Gaethje" - Michael Chandler reveals how he would approach a fight against Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler recently shed some light on how he’d approach a potential matchup against MMA superstar Conor McGregor. ‘Iron’ praised McGregor for his “calculated” fighting style. He suggested, however, that he’d get in McGregor’s face and quickly turn their bout into a firefight.
The former Bellator lightweight champion recently hinted at the prospect of taking on Conor McGregor in 2022. The Irishman responded to Chandler and indicated that he too would like to face him someday. Following this, ‘Iron’ tweeted that he and McGregor could compete at welterweight in the near future.
Riddle me this: Two welterweights were in the main event of #ufc268. But two lightweights started the card. 72 hours removed from #ufc268, one of those lightweights who started the card weighed more than of all of them. Over 191lbs just 72 hours later. #seeyouat170mcgregor
During an appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler opened up about this dream matchup between himself and ‘The Notorious.’
Chandler, who’s coming off a thrilling three-round war against Justin Gaethje, opined that Conor McGregor is much faster than ‘The Highlight'. Chandler notably highlighted the differences between Gaethje and McGregor, stating:
“Conor’s a lot more calculated; a lot less in the firefight, violence, you know, a little bit more; a little more diplomatic with the way that he fights.” Chandler added, “And he’s a lot faster. I think he’s a lot faster and a lot more precise than Justin Gaethje; not to take anything away from Justin Gaethje. Conor’s just that good. So, you know me, though, man. I’m all gas, no brakes; get in his face, you know, put him into a fight real quick. So, we’ll see.”
Watch Michael Chandler’s appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast in the video below:
Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor, and Justin Gaethje are all chasing a lightweight title shot
Michael Chandler came up short in his bid to capture the vacant UFC lightweight title, losing to Charles Oliveira via second-round TKO at UFC 262. ‘Iron’ returned to the octagon UFC 268 earlier this month and lost to Justin Gaethje via unanimous decision. Since then, Chandler has been lobbying for a fight against Conor McGregor.
As for Conor McGregor, the 33-year-old Irishman has suffered back-to-back losses against Dustin Poirier this year. ‘The Notorious’ sustained a leg injury in his most recent encounter against Poirier, losing the fight via first-round TKO at UFC 264 in July.
McGregor is recovering and is expected to return to the octagon sometime in mid 2022. The MMA stalwart has hinted at potential fights against several rivals from different weight classes when he returns.
Nevertheless, McGregor’s next opponent, the weight class he’ll compete at, and his exact comeback date remain shrouded in mystery. McGregor’s most recent assertion, which piqued the interest of the MMA world, was a claim that he’ll fight for the UFC lightweight title next.
Meanwhile, reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is set to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on December 11th. Presently, Justin Gaethje is the frontrunner to face the winner of the Oliveira-Poirier matchup for the title in 2022.