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Michael Chandler recently expressed his opinion that Conor McGregor has the skills to beat him, but that the Irishman's lifestyle choices will cost him in their upcoming fight.
Chandler is set to take on McGregor in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29. The event will mark the Irishman's first competitive appearance since July 2021 when he suffered a brutal leg break in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
The injury forced McGregor to stay on the sidelines for nearly two years. The dispute with USADA and the Road House project further delayed McGregor's return to competition. This is also speculated to have impacted the Irishman's MMA training routine.
Chandler, who has been criticized for waiting for the McGregor fight to materialize, shared his thoughts on his opponent during a recent appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show.
Chandler said that he thinks McGregor would get back in his prime form once he starts training for the fight. He then outlined the factors that could hurt McGregor's chances at UFC 303 and predicted how the fight might end:
"The goal is to suck all the oxygen out of the octagon. He's [McGregor] already ready to drown. With the lifestyle that he has lived and the work he has not put in over the last couple of years. I believe we suck the oxygen out of the octagon, he looks for the exit sign somewhere in the second round and I usher him toward the door."
Catch Chandler's comments below (2:35:20):
Michael Chandler proclaims to be the person who will "break" Conor McGregor
Continuing further in the aforementioned episode of the Shawn Ryan Show, Michael Chandler stated that he has worked hard to be in a situation to challenge Conor McGregor inside the UFC octagon. He added:
"I truly believe that I'm not just the better athlete, I believe I'm the better man in this scenario and it's time that the good guy wins." [2:41:34]
'Iron' then proclaimed to be the fighter to "break" McGregor:
"I was born for times such as this and I will absolutely break this man, and the whole world is going to get to see it. It's going to be the best moment of my professional life."
UFC 303 will headline the International Fight Week and will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight card is still being put together as only three fights have been officially announced so far.
