Legendary MMA referee John McCarthy has warned Michael Chandler that he will have to change his strategy to get the better of Conor McGregor.
The American is set to fight McGregor later this year after the pair were named as coaches for “The Ultimate Fighter 31”.
But McCarthy believes Chandler must not seek an exciting fight against the Dubliner and should instead focus on replicating how Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor in 2018.
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He said on his “Weighing In” podcast: "Michael has that – for whatever reason in his mind, it’s more important to be exciting than it is to win. And in this fight right here, it’s the dumbest idea ever.
"If Michael Chandler was smart, he would work on his wrestling. He would just hone it to a fine edge and be able to put pressure and take the blueprint you saw from Khabib and use that blueprint to beat Conor."
McCarthy added: "He is an explosive fighter, but he lunges in. He takes these big movements, and his feet move to get him inside and then to try to get him outside. He doesn’t stay inside. He wants to come in, do damage, and bounce out. That’s not a good idea in fighting Conor."
McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in his second defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2021, while Chandler lost to the same opponent last November after a win earlier in the year against Tony Ferguson.
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