WATCH: Michael Chandler shares unexpected backstage moment with Conor McGregor rival Nate Diaz
UFC lightweight Michael Chander has joked that Nate Diaz was giving him tips on how to beat Conor McGregor whilst backstage at UFC 285.
Chandler and McGregor are in Las Vegas as they're filming the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). The two lightweight stars are then expected to headline a card before the end of the year.
McGregor, Chandler, and Diaz were all pictured cageside during the UFC 285 broadcast this past weekend. Now, backstage footage has shown an unexpected moment between Michael Chandler and Nate Diaz.
The video shows Chandler with his arms around the former UFC fighter as well as the pair joking with one another and shaking hands. Inside Fighting's Andrew Capucetti then asked the former Bellator champ if he was getting tips from Diaz on facing Conor McGregor.
Chandler said:
"Haha. Well...maybe. Yeah! Maybe! He said dont you go winning because we're gonna do something. We'll see what happens."
'Iron' then responded to whether or not his beef with the Irishman is genuine:
"We're about half and half [In hating and liking McGregor]. Yeah. We are mutually beneficial opportunists who love to compete against each other. That's where we're at right now. I finish him in the second round, that's a mystic Mike projection."
Catch the video here:
Boxing great Teddy Atlast weighs in on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
Dana White announced last month that Conor McGregor would be making his UFC comeback by coaching on TUF. The Irish MMA star will then headline a card against Michael Chandler following the culmination of the show.
Teddy Atlas, a veteran boxing trainer, has weighed in on McGregor's upcoming return to the octagon. According to Atlas, who is a major voice in combat sports, McGregor's return and his drawing power can only be compared to a great like Muhammad Ali:
In an interview with TheMacLife, Atlas stated:
"I expect the return of the king. When I say that, I mean the guy is a pioneer. I talked about Ali earlier, I think it's fair, as great as he is, to talk, to compare them a little bit. Because Conor brought the sport and everything with the sport as far as the purses for the fighters, to another level, and Ali did that too."
Catch the interview below: