[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] thinks he could hang with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] in the verbal exchanges in the build-up to a potential fight.
Although Chandler (22-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) have shown only respect for each other in the media, it’s entirely possible things would take a twist from McGregor’s side once contracts are signed. McGregor has established himself as one of the all-time great talkers in combat sports history.
Chandler might be far less venomous in the way he speaks and promotes fights, but anyone who listens to him can pick up on his intelligence and wit. He said he’d lean on that with McGregor.
“If the fight happens, we’ll see – you might see a different side of me,” Chandler told ESPN’s “DC & RC” podcast hosted by Daniel Cormier. “I think I’m pretty good at using my vocabulary and my linguistic jiu-jitsu to wrap guys up in some words that they may not understand without having to go to base-level insults or mentioning different things that are going to be damaging to another guy’s reputation. We’ll see. I respect Conor for what he’s done, I respect Conor as a fighter, and I even respect his trash talk game. It is something I’m looking forward to.”
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Thus far, McGregor has shown no ill will toward Chandler, who is coming off a “Fight of the Year” contender loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 268 in November. The former three-time Bellator champion is essentially a model representative of MMA, but McGregor has a knack for taking people out of their comfort zone.
It remains to be seen how the brash Irishman would approach fight promotion with Chandler, but first the matchup must get put together. Chandler said he’s had no official communication about it, but he’s content with being patient since it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
McGregor recently said he’s targeting a return to sparring in April after suffering a broken leg in his loss to Dustin Poirier in July at UFC 264. Once cleared for full contact, McGregor said he hopes to book a fight shortly thereafter. Chandler, for his part, said that would work perfectly for his own timeline to return, which would be anywhere from May to July.
“He needs to heal up, I need to heal up – we’ll see if that fight happens,” Chandler said. “If it does, it’s definitely going be fireworks inside the octagon, and I can guarantee I can carry my weight outside the octagon on the microphone.”
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