Urijah Faber expects Conor McGregor to overwhelm Michael Chandler in their upcoming fight
Conor McGregor’s fight with Michael Chandler is widely expected to be one of the biggest UFC bouts of 2023. The two lightweight stars are set to coach on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter before facing off in the octagon in the latter part of the year.
The countdown to #TUF31 is ON! 🔥
The official trailer for Team McGregor vs Team Chandler has landed
[ Season premiere May 30th on ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] https://t.co/IKRXUYQkdF
Given that McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in his 2021 clash with Dustin Poirier and has not won in the octagon since 2020, many people have been quick to count him out.
However, UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber apparently is not one of those people.
‘The California Kid’ recently spoke to ESPN to give his two cents on the upcoming fight. He was quick to praise ‘The Notorious’ before stating that he expects him to defeat ‘Iron Mike’ in their clash:
“Traditionally, in the past, you know, old-school MMA, I would’ve said the high-level wrestler’s always going to win. But Conor, I feel, has closed those gaps a lot. I think Chandler takes a lot of big risks and likes to fight wild and aggressive, and I’ve seen many times where Conor’s power is just too much and his precision’s too much, and I think it’s gonna be, in a five-round fight, leaning toward McGregor.”
Watch Urijah Faber discuss Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler below:
Faber famously coached against McGregor on the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2015, although it did not build to a fight between them and they had largely a friendly rivalry throughout.
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler: When is the fight due to take place?
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are all set to coach against each other on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, which premieres on ESPN on May 30.
ONE WEEK until #TUF31 teams are picked!!
The new season premieres next Tuesday, May 30th, on ESPN and ESPN+! https://t.co/RdlvAZPHAO
However, no concrete date for their clash inside the octagon has been given at the time of writing.
The biggest bridge that needs to be crossed to make the fight happen is for ‘The Notorious’ to enter back into USADA’s drug testing pool.
However, USADA did confirm earlier this month that they have been in contact with the Irishman, and they expect him to enter into six months’ worth of testing imminently.
Statement via USADA regarding Conor McGregor's comments earlier today: https://t.co/MBokE7dEQ5
Assuming this is the case, then the earliest we can expect to see McGregor vs. Chandler would be late November. This would fall in line with suggestions recently made by Dana White that the bout will take place in either November or December.