Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler TUF: While Urging ‘Iron’ to Wrestle Early, Ex-UFC Champ Casts Doubts on the Irishman’s Return

Michael Chandler has been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to step into the octagon with Conor McGregor. Ever since ‘Iron’ joined the world’s largest MMA promotion, he wanted to take on a big name. Finally, his long-awaited wish of fighting against McGregor is about to be fulfilled. ‘The Notorious’ took a two-year hiatus from the MMA scene due to a leg injury, with his last UFC Octagon bout being against Dustin Poirier. As the date for McGregor vs Chandler clash draws near, the anticipation surrounding the matchup continues to intensify.

At the moment, the Irishman’s former rival, Eddie Alvarez, has come forward to talk about the McGregor-Chandler clash. Like most MMA fighters, the former UFC lightweight champion is excited to see the bout between the great forces. However, he feels that Chandler is not going in the right direction despite being a great athlete. ‘The Underground King’ gave Chandler the perfect strategy to defeat the UFC icon. Additionally, he also expressed his doubts regarding the Irishman’s return to the octagon.

Eddie Alvarez asks Michael Chandler to use a different strategy against Conor McGregor

The 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter will air on May 30 on ESPN. The reality series will pave the way for Chandler and McGregor to lock horns as coaches. On the YouTube channel ESPN, they have come up with ‘Before The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor versus Team Chandler’. In the video, McGregor’s UFC 205 rival, Alvarez talked about the upcoming bout between ‘Iron’ and ‘The Notorious’. He had a precise viewpoint regarding Chandler and his approach to the bout, which he felt was not the right strategy.

Alvarez said, “I feel like we will Mike Chandler is a hell of an athlete. Just think stylistically, the way he’s been fighting and the strategy he’s been going about fighting isn’t the way to get it done against Conor McGregor. And I would implore him if I was his coach to change his style to go for single legs, to go for shots and force Conor to wrestle early.”

“You have to force him to wrestle early so he don’t have the powerful tools that he’s able to take advantage of all these other guys.” Being a former opponent of McGregor, he had an idea of how to deal with the Irish superstar.

‘The Underground King’ shares his thoughts about the Fight

Both Chandler and McGregor possess exceptional skill sets and bring a unique style to the octagon. Chandler’s explosive power and relentless pressure will pose a significant challenge for McGregor. In fact, ‘Iron’ also gave his ‘Mystic Mike’ predictions for the bout.

The Irishman relies on precision striking and calculated counterattacks. The clash of their contrasting styles promises an exhilarating and unpredictable fight.

READ MORE: Michael Chandler Reveals the Most Surprising Thing About Conor McGregor That Most Don’t Give Him Credit For

During the conversation, ‘The Underground King’ also expressed some doubts regarding McGregor’s return. He said, “Regarding their upcoming bout, I thought what a hell of a fight and a lot of questions would be answered with Conor’s time off. Conor, of course, is not going to be the same Conor that he was back during his Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, myself when he was fighting them, you know. He was quite active.”

“He was fighting three and four times a year. So we wouldn’t expect the same exact guy who was excited about winning world titles but will we see that resurgence of energy, enjoyment and excitement and gratitude toward the game, MMA.” From the conversation with Alvarez, it was clear that like most MMA Fighters, even he is eagerly looking forward to the bout.

Watch This Story: Best Conor McGregor TUF Moments