Michael Chandler looks to Knockout Conor McGregor in the First Round for Making Him Wait

ByTimothy Wheaton Aug 14, 2024

Conor McGregor Michael Chandler KO

Michael Chandler is sick and tired of waiting for Conor McGregor. After coaching TUF against one another, years ago, the matchup has been booked and canceled several times. Now, the bout doesn’t even have a confirmed date and many fans speculate that it may never happen

Michael Chandler Plans to Knockout Conor McGregor

Michael Chandler is a former Bellator champion and a title contender in the UFC. The US-born athlete has a wrestling background but has developed a power punching style on the feet. ‘Iron’ Michael is known for his exciting bouts, having had multiple fight-of-the-year contenders against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

Ireland’s Conor McGregor is a sniper with a powerful left hand. He made history becoming a two-division UFC champion having defeated both Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez with impressive knockouts.

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Replacement fights floated again for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at UFC 303 there's pessimism

In his career, Chandler has been able to stop Tony Ferguson, Benson Henderson, and Dan Hooker, among others, by way of knockout. Now, he hopes to do the same against McGregor in the first round. In an interview, Chandler explained:

I think my pressure is just too much for Conor. I think I will put him on the back foot immediately, and start putting pressure on him, and he will fight hard for the first half of a round. I do believe that. But at some point, the tides will start to change, and he will start going down as I continue to gain speed and continue to gain momentum. And I think I put him away. It used to be the second round, but at this point, with everything that has been built up, I think I will finish him in the first round.

While waiting around for Conor McGregor to sign on the dotted line, Chandler has been keeping busy with his family and getting a hint of what retirement might look like. He said:

And it has allowed me to focus on other things; on my family, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife and sons, spending time on my businesses, serving them and growing the numbers there. Really getting a glimpse of what my post-fight career might look like.

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Timothy Wheaton

Timothy Wheaton is a combat sports writer who covers MMA, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. He has been an avid follower of these sports since 2005. Tim has even covered the UFC, GLORY Kickboxing, and Bellator in person at live events.

With Low Kick MMA, Tim has contributed interviews, articles, and podcasts.

Tim also works with a host of other media sites such as Calf Kick Sports, Sportskeeda MMA, MMA Sucka, Vecht Sport Info, Fighters First, and Beyond Kickboxing. Tim is is the authority on kickboxing and MMA journalist who has covered K-1, PRIDE FC, UFC, GLORY Kickboxing, Bellator, ONE Championship, and plenty more.