UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he will knock out Conor McGregor during the first few months of 2024.
‘Notorious’ hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021 – but he’s been ready to return all year.
Fans are desperate to finally see Chandler vs McGregorCredit: @TheNotoriousMMA – Twitter
An eagerly anticipated clash between McGregor and Chandler was announced by Dana White in February, but the UFC CEO has yet to reveal an official date, weight, or venue for the fight.
The 155lb duo filmed a series of The Ultimate Fighter together ahead of their proposed 2023 showdown, but it was later delayed until the new year because of an issue between McGregor and the UFC’s drug testing partner.
Despite all the setbacks, Chandler remains confident they will scrap soon.
“I believe this fight is happening in the first quarter of next year,” he told talkSPORT.com, while promoting his new business Hiatus Tequila.
“I haven’t been told an exact date but pretty much ‘stay ready’.
“When 2024 hits, we hit the ground running.”
‘Iron’, who is coming off a submission loss to Poirer at UFC 281 in November 2022, believes he will quickly KO McGregor to score the biggest win of his career.
Chandler added: “We knock Conor out in two [rounds].
‘Iron’ usually goes looking for an early finishCredit: Getty
McGregor does too – that’s why fans are so excited about their clashCredit: Getty
“You give me one year to prepare for a guy like Conor McGregor, I’m going to be a different animal whenever I go out there and compete against him.
“I’ve been watching the tapes, watching the training footage and we’ve got a nice little game plan we are putting together down in Florida.”
The 37-year-old offered a detailed breakdown of how he expects his fight with McGregor to play out before highlighting three of his shots fans should look out for.
“I come out hard in the first round, like I always do, I make him second guess himself, put himself on his backfoot,” Chandler said.
“I believe the way I have been training specifically for this fight for a year now, we have made leaps, bounds, and strides.
“We’ve still got another little while to train for it and really get dialled in on the game plan – but I make him second guess himself in the first, break him by the end of the first, finish in the second with some type of hard punch.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be a right hand, a left hook or a body shot. I do need a body shot knockout and I would like it to be Conor McGregor, so we’ll see.”
