Michael Chandler just landed himself the biggest fight of his career. A 5-round bout against the former two-division champ Conor McGregor at 170 pounds. The organization, in an attempt to materialize the fight, upped the ante, pitting the fighters against each other in The Ultimate Fighter 31, in 2023. And now, with weeks remaining for the epic showdown at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, Daniel Cormier put Chandler on a pedestal for his understanding of the fight business.
DC, who was the UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight champ, spoke highly about Chandler in the recent ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy’ show. Showering praise on the fighter, saying,
“God, I love Michael Chandler. He understands the business, he understands that when we talk about him or we have to critique him or we talk about talking him. Chill, guys stop getting mad when Chael (Sonnen) or I make a YouTube video, stop getting mad when Chael and I are on our show talking about you on ESPN, stop getting mad, you’re getting talked about. That is what Michael Chandler gets.”
Cormier opined that Chandler, unlike most fighters, knows the “business.” Being in various promotions, starting from the defunct Strikeforce, Chandler has been in the game long enough. Thus, he understands how the media, analysts, etc., are trying their best to hype up the event, which would ultimately lead to a bigger draw.
And the upcoming McGregor vs Chandler bout is turning out to be a thriller. The fighters have different fighting styles. McGregor, with his unorthodox striking stance and Chandler, with his strong background in wrestling, giving the NCAA Division 1 wrestler the edge on paper.
Despite things looking rosy for Chandler, former UFC Middleweight champ, Michael Bisping has put out a strong message for Chandler. He even warned him not to get sloppy with a precision striker like McGregor.
Michael Bisping asks Chandler not to be ‘egoistic’
Right after the massive UFC 300 in Vegas, the action will once again return to the T-Mobile Arena in July when Conor McGregor will take on ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler on his return. Despite McGregor’s Achilles heel being wrestling, Chandler most likely will try to stand up to the Southpaw, gifting the fans a banger.
And this is exactly where Bisping sees the problem. With Chandler revealing his cocky side, saying that he hits “harder” than McGregor, Bisping asked the obvious. On his YouTube channel, Bisping called out the irony. Reacting to fan comments, he said,
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, he just said ‘I don’t need to get into a fight with a guy that’s got a bigger rifle than me,’ and then he goes on to say, ‘I think I hit harder.’ So which is it?”
Well, Bisping has a point here. Chandler just admitted that McGregor indeed has a reach advantage and packs power but ended up saying that he hits much harder than the former two-division champion.
The veteran then urged Chandler to be wary of McGregor and not to be “drunk on your own ego.” Thus, come June 29, every UFC enthusiast will be waiting with bated breath to find out who will ultimately come out on top.
