‘Mystic Mike’ Chandler predicts how he’ll beat McGregor, Conor responds

Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor are set to fight sometime in fall 2023 after coaching The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 this upcoming summer season. That’s awhile away, but Chandler is already visualizing several ways in which he could beat “The Notorious” in the cage.

In a new interview with ESPN, Chandler put on his analyst’s cap and broke down the upcoming clash against McGregor.

“First of all, you lay out the basics of Conor and I both start extremely fast,” he said. “That cage door closes, Bruce Buffer announces us, that bell dings, we both try to meet in the center of the octagon, try to make the other guy take a backward step first. Conor more in a larger wider take up more space stance in order to kind of project that domineering spirit of himself. Me more of a missile, kind of coming at you and feeling my presence right away, I want to get my hands on you.

“I think when I break down this fight, I do think I have more power, I do think I have more wrestling, better wrestling, better grappling,” he continued. “But with that, Conor’s very good — you saw the Eddie Alvarez fight, you saw the Chad Mendes fight, you saw the Jose Aldo fight — Conor’s very good at missing punches, getting out of the way of punches by a gnat’s eyelash, by a millimeter, and countering with that straight left or a a one two three four like he did against Eddie.

“So, you’re going to see a guy that’s 100 percent offensive like myself, a guy like Conor who is constantly in your face and having that presence but is more of a counter-striker in a lot of regard or can play the counter-striker game,” Chandler added. “And if he lands on the button it’s going to be a rough night for me. If I land on the button it’s a rough night for him. But which one of us can do it? I’m gonna get in his face, make him take a backward step right away and he’s going to feel my presence from the very beginning of the fight. And then from there, wherever the fight takes him.

“If I want to pick him up and put him down, I can pick him up and put him down and start beating on him and get a submission that way,” Chandler continued. “I believe I finish Conor in the second round, that’s my ‘Mystic Mike’ take on this later on this year whenever it is.”

That being said, “Iron Mike” is also more than happy to take the knockout if it comes.

“I always visualize the knockout, I always visualize a big overhand right or left hook,” he concluded. “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 in my mind a million times. So, I believe I wear him down a little bit and land a big shot in the second round and take him out.”

McGregor — the original mixed martial arts (MMA) “mystic” — didn’t waste too many words replying to Chandler’s prediction. In fact, he didn’t use any. Instead he just threw a laughing emoji over his opponent’s quote. We imagine he’ll have a lot to say about the fight soon enough.

The date and location for the 170-pound Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler showdown is unknown at this time. Nevertheless, TUF 31 will debut on May 30, 2023, and run until Aug. 15, 2023.