Last week, we kicked off our build-up to UFC 303 by suggesting three key reasons why Conor McGregor could defeat Michael Chandler in his comeback fight in Las Vegas. Now, it’s time to flip the script and look at how Chandler can get the W over “The Notorious” when they meet later this month.
UPDATE:
What a shocker! No sooner had Simon closed his laptop and put his feet up, the McGregor v Chandler fight bit the dust with the Irishman picking up an injury. So, not ones to abandon an idea, here’s 3 reasons Alex Pereira will defeat Jiri Prochazka (again) at UFC 303 in the re-scheduled main event.
Ring rust is real
Chandler may have been sat on the sidelines waiting patiently for his money fight with McGregor to come to fruition, but the Irishman is the man coming in off a long layoff.
By the time they make the walk on fight night, it will have been 1,085 days since McGregor last appeared in the Octagon. And much of that time away has been spent rehabbing the horrific broken leg he sustained in his trilogy loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Since that fight, Chandler has competed three times and, while he’s won once and lost twice in that spell, he’s at least been active, hasn’t sustained any serious injuries, and has been in shape the whole way through.
With McGregor coming off such a long layoff, ring rust has to be a genuine concern. He’s also got the challenge of dropping back down to fighting weight after bulking up for his movie role in the rebook of Road House.
Then there’s the big question of what on earth has been going on in the last week or so. A planned appearance in Dublin for a press conference at the 3Arena was mysteriously cancelled, and no clear explanation has been given. It’s sent the rumour mill into overdrive, with all sorts of crazy theories about McGregor being thrown out there on social media. If it transpires that Conor had picked up an injury, and the fight continues regardless, how much could that affect him on fight night?
All of the above could mean that McGregor could potentially be a tad off his A-game. And, for someone as explosive as Chandler, “a tad” might be all he needs to hand the Irishman his third straight loss.
McGregor might not have mentally recovered
The fight game is as much mental as it is physical, and McGregor’s bulletproof mindset has been credited for much of his success over the course of his stellar career. But you can’t ignore what happened to him last time out.
His leg break against Poirier in July 2021 was one of the nastiest injuries we’ve seen inside the Octagon, and you don’t just bounce back from that without a lot of pain, heartache and stress during the recovery process. And that’s all before you start sparring and taking kicks on that leg once again.
Coming back from an injury like McGregor’s is a tough, scary process – just ask Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, neither of whom came back quite the same, despite making remarkable recoveries – and there has to be a significant portion of doubt or concern over that leg when McGregor steps back into the cage again. If any of that doubt is in Conor’s head, that’s something Chandler can exploit.
The smart money would suggest that McGregor’s mentality is strong enough for it not to be a factor, but if it is, it’s advantage Chandler.
Chandler actually fights smart… and uses his wrestling
Of the three outcomes here, this is probably the least likely, and that’s the possibility that Chandler turns up and takes the path of least resistance and wrestles the life out of McGregor en route to a win via decision, or ground-and-pound TKO.
Chandler was a standout collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri, and his wrestling skills should be more than good enough to get “The Notorious” off his feet and onto his back. The problem here is, despite his outstanding wrestling credentials, Chandler is a born crowd pleaser. He’ll want to stand and bang.
If he plays to type and fights entirely in the stand-up realm, he may well find himself getting sparked out by McGregor’s sharper striking. But if he fights smart and mixes things up more than he has done in recent fights, he has the skills to defeat McGregor with relative ease.
Conor McGregor v Michael Chandler fight odds
All the odds you need can be found right here on paddypower.com. For an at-a-glance look at the latest odds on who will win the McGregor v Chandler match up, check out our widgets below.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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