Michael
Chandler has fought five times since signing with the UFC in
2021. His future opponent, Conor
McGregor, has fought just twice over that same timeframe.
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With that being said, the former Bellator lightweight champion is
confident that the spotlight of coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter
31” as a lead-in to a big pay-per-view showdown will light a fire
under McGregor as he prepares to make his long-awaited UFC
return.
“I have been very active. I just signed with the promotion a little
over two years ago, and I have fought the who’s who, the toughest
strength of schedule that maybe anybody ever has coming into the
UFC,” Chandler recently said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “… Conor has
had the luxury of stepping away from the sport because he has a
very padded bank account. He does live a life of luxury.
“We can’t make the mistake of thinking (he’s) lost his passion for
mixed martial arts … It’s his first love. I think we’re gonna see a
nostalgia of Conor
McGregor. He’s gonna find his roots again.”
While “TUF” isn’t quite the attraction it was when the reality show
helped launch the UFC into prominence, having the sport’s biggest
star as a coach will likely bring more eyeballs to the screen for
weekly episodes. It’s also something that interests Chandler, as he
claims to be looking forward to the psychological battles that
could occur as the season progresses. He fully expects the verbally
skilled McGregor, who sold many a fight on the microphone over the
years, to emerge on “TUF 31.”
“It’s a challenge that I’m excited [for] and willfully throwing
myself into. I have visualized it. I have thought about it,”
Chandler said. “We’ve loved Conor because he’s interesting, because
he’s interested. Rest assured, he’s doing his homework on me. He
knows how many times I lost, he knows who I’ve lost to. He knows in
what form or fashion I have lost. He knows what the chinks in my
armor are. He knows where I might have doubts or insecurities. He
loves to well up old emotions and make them brand new and make you
trip over yourself live on TV. I’m expecting that.
“He’s a witty guy with a wicked tongue and he’s got the gift of
gab. I’m excited to fight fire with fire in that regard. I’m
excited for the tension, the competition, the linguistic battles
that we’re going to get into…”
Chandler himself has never backed down when it comes to putting on
a show in the cage, and he plans on doing everything he can to help
sell his fight with McGregor on screen as “TUF” coach, as well.
“Make no mistake, I respect Conor for what he has done for the
sport, I respect him for the life he has built for him and his
family, the legacy he will have when he does step away from the
sport,” Chandler said. “I’m coming for the win later on down the
line on pay-per-view. As the competition starts, I’m already
studying old seasons of ‘The ultimate fighter’, his season prior
against Urijah Faber
years ago. [I’m] watching the wy he carried himself, watching the
ebbs and flow of how this show goes so we can give the fans what
they want.”
Ultimately, “TUF 31” is just an appetizer for what promises to be
an all-action bout between two of the sport’s most entertaining
fighters.
“I think it’s just perfect. As mixed martial artists, when we get
into the sport, we want the brightest lights, the biggest stages,
the biggest opportunities of our lives,” Chandler said. “Fighting
Conor
McGregor inside the Octagon live on pay-per-view is the
pinnacle of mixed martial arts. I want that big stage. I’ve been
fighting for it for the last 15 years now. It’s finally come full
circle, it’s finally come to fruition.”