Conor McGregor‘s long-awaited return is edging closer and could get underway during International Fight Week on June 29.
All eyes will be glued to that date as fans have been desperate to see the Irishman back in the octagon. While he expects it to be a tough outing, his rumored opponent Michael Chandler believes he will get his hands raised without the help of the judges.
During a recent interview, Chandler delved into the Conor McGregor fight for the first time since the date and possible weight class was announced. Though there are still some hurdles to overcome, ‘Iron’ is glad the fight is beginning to move ahead.
“It looks like we’re finally going to be getting this fight moving forward,” Chandler said about his reported McGregor bout. “A fight is never confirmed until we’re actually inside of that octagon and that bell rings, right?”
“Now it looks like we’ve got ourselves a date, we’ve got ourselves an opponent and seemingly a weight class a little bit above what we thought it was going to be.”
“As of right now, June 29 is what I’m preparing for… That is the date I’m preparing for, that is what we’re looking forward to.”
Michael Chandler later spoke on the quoted weight class the pair would be fighting at. While it’s not something he’s used to, the fan-favorite would love to share the octagon with McGregor at 185 lbs.
“I would definitely fight him at 185 lbs. If you look at how the whole thing played out, I like to say Conor wouldn’t want it to be at 155 because he wants everybody to believe he’s bigger than he actually is.”
“It’s tough for him to say 170 because, if you remember, I was the guy who called him out at 170. So, therefore, I’m not the guy who does what I’m told, I’m the guy who got what I wanted.”
“He’s a natural 145-pounder who started making his name fighting cherry-picked 135-pounders. And I’ve carried this mass for the last 15 years and fought at lightweight with it, whereas he has gained weight… I think it benefits me. So wherever they want to do it, I’ll do it.”
Related: Conor McGregor announces Michael Chandler clash on June 29, Chandler responds
Capping off the interview, Chandler predicted a finish of McGregor but understands that his potential opponent’s confidence could make it a difficult matchup.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be too quick. I think Conor, as he always does, is going to come in very confident… Never underestimate a man who has an unwavering belief in himself.”
“Conor McGregor is a dangerous opponent, no matter what. For the rest of his life, he will be a dangerous man. So, I think Conor’s going to hit me with some shots, I’m not going to go down.”
“He’s going to then start to feel the waters rising and then we finish him in the second round. Maybe third round. But I think I’m too much for him, I wear him down, make him second-guess himself similar to some of the other fights that we have seen, and then I finish him in the second round.”
Watch Michael Chandler speak about his reported Conor McGregor clash below.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/michael-chandler-believes-hes-too-much-for-conor-mcgregor-predicts-2nd-or-3rd-round-finish
