Michael Chandler doesn’t count on Conor McGregor to be the identical fighter at UFC 303.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) welcomes McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) again in a welterweight bout June 29 at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). McGregor will return after struggling a horrific leg break in a TKO loss to Poirier in July 2021, and Chandler thinks he’ll be dealing with a diminished model of him.
“What I have to work on on this combat is to proceed to be the very best model of myself, possibly just a little bit extra tactical,” Chandler stated on “The Shawn Ryan Present.” “Realizing that I’ve earned this, notice that I’m a greater fighter, a harder fighter, and the man who deserves it extra. Whether or not that be getting in his face, put him up in opposition to the cage, choosing him up, placing him down, welting his spirit just a little bit extra, taking the wind out of his sails just a little bit extra.
“I don’t have to get right into a firefight with a man who has bought an even bigger rifle than me. I believe I hit tougher than he does. His day trip of the cage has lent itself to his timing not being what it was, his motion not being what it was, his reflexes not being what they was. He’s been out of the cage three years by the point we combat. …Go on the market and get the end and simply completely outclass and dominate him.”
Chandler can even return from an extended layoff. Chandler hasn’t competed since a November 2022 submission loss to Dustin Poirier, and hasn’t gained a combat since knocking out Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 in Could 2022.
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