Nobody knows for sure when the anticipated clash between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will actually go down, but that doesn’t mean we need to curb our excitement.
Most of the combat community is looking forward to seeing McGregor step back inside of the Octagon and test his current fighting skills against a pressure-cooker like Chandler. After all, McGregor hasn’t competed since badly injuring his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier back in July 2021. “Notorious” has been keeping himself busy ever since, but now is his time to return and prove his doubters wrong.
Poirier, who is the last fighter to compete against McGregor, also holds a submission win over Chandler from their meeting at UFC 281 last November. “Diamond” understands what it means to stand across the Octagon from both men and is very interested to see how their eventual clash plays out. In the end, Poirier is banking on quick action and a memorable finish.
“I think that if Conor comes back anything like he was with his timing and rhythm, with the injury that he had and this long of a layoff, and we’re not getting any younger either — if he comes back similar to who he was before he left, I think he stops Michael Chandler,” Poirier said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting).
“If Conor is who he was before the injury and stuff, I think two rounds — I think the fight’s over in two rounds.”
In total, Poirier has shared the cage with McGregor three separate times. He lost the first fight at featherweight and then captured back-to-back TKO stoppages over “Notorious” at 155 pounds. Poirier has witnessed McGregor’s resurgence first hand and believes he can deliver another epic moment later this year. Of course, McGregor will need to be completely dialed in to take care of business against someone like Chandler.
“If anybody can [dial back the clock], I think it would be him,” Poirier said of McGregor. “If he’s 100 percent dedicated and focused, and put the blinders on and really go at this with all of himself, I think he can. But we’ll see, man. That’s what makes it so interesting.”
Do you agree? Will McGregor vs. Chandler end within two rounds?
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