Daniel Cormier explains why he believes Michael Chandler won't wrestle Conor McGregor at UFC 303 - "He will not do it"

Michael Chandler won't wrestle Conor McGregor, at least according to former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier, who outlined his thoughts on his 'Good Guy / Bad Guy' show with Chael Sonnen. While acknowledging that wrestling is Chandler's main strength, he also described it as a weakness.

Cormier specifically highlighted how easily Chandler is tired by his wrestling, which would not serve him well against 'The Notorious.' For this reason, Cormier expects a standup war between Chandler and McGregor, who lock horns at UFC 303 in a welterweight bout.

"He's [Michael Chandler] not gonna do it [wrestle]. I'm telling you why he won't do it. So, for years, we've been saying, 'Michael Chandler needs to use his wrestling,' and then he did it against Dustin Poirier and he got tired, and then Dustin submitted him. And because of that, he will never go back to that well. He knows that fighting in the standup fight, you get less fatigued."

Check out Daniel Cormier's thoughts on the UFC 303 main event (33:39):

It is an interesting observation on Cormier's part. Chandler was indeed exhausted after outwrestling Poirier in round one in November 2022, ultimately getting submitted for the first time in his career. However, Chandler often exhausts himself in fights regardless of whether he strikes or grapples.

He steps in deep with every punch he throws, swinging in wild, looping arcs. The amount of energy he pours into every action is quite taxing on Chandler's body. He either tires out or inevitably runs into a counterpunch that rocks or knocks him down.

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Michael Chandler has promised to knock out Conor McGregor

It appears that Michael Chandler agrees with Daniel Cormier's prediction, at least in some sense. 'Iron' seems to have no intention of wrestling Conor McGregor, and will instead aim to knock the Irishman out cold. He has promised that the bout will end with McGregor's retirement.

Conversely, McGregor believes he will knock Chandler unconscious. Given both men's statements, many will expect a standup war between them. This is Chandler's usual modus operandi, as he prefers striking over anything else.