Conor McGregor has mocked Michael Chandler after the UFC star predicted he will secure a stoppage in their upcoming fight within two rounds.
The legendary former two-weight world champion has been out of action for what will be over two years by the time the pair meet later this year after suffering a gruesome broken leg in his last fight with Dustin Poirier. Over the weekend, it was confirmed that he would be coaching on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Chandler, with the pair to fight at the end of the series.
Chandler has been angling for a fight with McGregor since the start of his UFC career, and despite suffering three losses and winning just twice, he has managed to land the big one. And he has predicted that he will get his rival out within just ten minutes when they do meet, with a September fight date likely.
“If he lands one on the button, it’s going to be a rough night for me," Chandler admitted during a recent interview with ESPN. If I land one on the button, it’s going to be a rough night for him, but which one of us can do it? I’m going to get in his face, make him take a backwards step right away.
"He’s going to feel my presence from the very beginning of the fight and then from there wherever the fight takes us. If I want to pick him up and put him down, I can pick him up and put him down and put a beating on him and get a submission that way. I believe I finish Conor in the second round. That’s my ‘Mystic Mike’ take on this, later on this year whenever it is.”
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And McGregor laughed off the suggestion, taking to Twitter and replying with a crying laughing emoji in response to a post quoting the interview. The Irishman has been respectful of Chandler previously, but will likely return to his trash talking self when he makes his comeback to the octagon later this year.
“I always visualize a big overhand right or a left hook,” Chandler added. “That’s the shot that I really want to land every single time, and that’s the shot I’ve seen put guys down so many times in my career, put guys down in training, put guys down a million times in my mind. I believe I wear him down a little bit and land a big shot in the second round and take him out.
“Can’t tell you what’s going to happen, what Conor’s going to show up. We’ve seen a couple different versions of Conor as well and I think Conor somewhat tailors himself, his personality and his ability and willingness to engage in those verbal altercations based on his opponent. I could bring the worst out of him that we’ve ever seen or I could bring the more buttoned-up, businessman Conor. We don’t know.”
