Michael Chandler Believes He Will End Conor McGregor’s Career
Michael Chandler has high expectations for his upcoming bout with Conor McGregor. The always-entertaining lightweight believes a dominant performance will end McGregor’s career.
Chandler spoke about ending McGregor’s career in an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN. (All quotes via The Score.)
“I think I’ll be the last (person McGregor fights),” Chandler told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “He’s lost fights, but we haven’t really seen him be dominated. … I think I dominate him in a fashion that he can keep trying to come back, but he will have lost the fans’ interest so much more after I do what I’m going to do to him.
“There will be an extra hint of satisfaction ending this guy’s career.”
Fans have been waiting for McGregor to return to the UFC octagon. The superstar has been sidelined since 2021 after suffering a broken leg in his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
It has long been expected that McGregor will return to fight Chandler. That was practically confirmed when the pair coached The Ultimate Fighter against one another. Recently, McGregor confirmed he would fight Chandler in his return and claimed the bout would take place on June 29.
McGregor will have a lot on the line, as he enters the octagon for his UFC return. Despite being the biggest star in the history of the sport, he is 1-3 since exploring the world of boxing against Floyd Mayweather.
McGregor desperately needs a win in order to regain fan support; he cannot keep losing. If he does, fans will not have a reason to tune in. In turn, Chandler has a chance to put the nail in the coffin on McGregor’s career. A dormant performance could have fans disinterested in McGregor’s future.
As far as previewing the fight goes, Chandler is confident that he can get the job done in an impressive fashion.
“Conor’s skill set, I don’t think it’s where it used to be,” he said. “I don’t think Conor is as scary as he used to be.”
It has been interesting trying to evaluate McGregor’s skill set in his most recent outings. It is clear he has some striking prowess remaining. In his two bouts with Poirier, he showed some promise on the feet; however, neither bout lasted long enough to see how consistent those skills would be over 25 minutes. Why, because McGregor was not durable enough in either outing.
After two years sidelined, it is impossible to know if McGregor will be rejuvenated and sharp or slow and old. It would not be a shock to see either outcome. If it is the latter, Chandler will have a favorable matchup on his hands.
“I’ve got a sneaky suspicion I knock this dude out within the first two rounds,” Chandler said.
McGregor versus Chandler will be one of the most interesting bouts of 2024. The stakes are high and questions surround the fight. We will have to wait until fight night to get our answers.
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