UFC superstar Conor McGregor is set to take on former three-time Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler later this year in his return to action.
After both fighters were scheduled to fight in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter last year, McGregor made a big announcement that the two will finally square off on International Fight Week this year. Both fighters have continued to tease their much-anticipated fight at middleweight since.
In his latest post, Chandler promoted the fight using the unlikeliest of props. McGregor’s Irish whiskey Proper No. Twelve was pitted against his own Hiatus Tequila by a fan and Chandler remarked that it was another rivalry in the making.
“The rivalry most didn’t know was brewing…@hiatustequila”
Check out Michael Chandler’s post below:
The rivalry most didn’t know was brewing… @hiatustequila https://t.co/tKd0L52xkj
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) January 24, 2024
Chandler partnered with the tequila brand in December 2023, to amplify its awareness amongst his fanbase and the mixed martial arts community. He is also an investor in the company.
Michael Chandler labels Conor McGregor a ‘quitter’
Michael Chandler explained what he expected from Conor McGregor if the two fought at middleweight, as announced by ‘The Notorious’ himself.
In an interview with Bussin’ With The Boys, Chandler predicted that McGregor would be much slower and will lose out the edge he held against other fighters with his rapid movement and striking:
“I think, the fact of the matter is he’s not going to be able to move like the Conor of old. The reason we as an MMA community loved and studied and were mystified by Conor was his movement, his angles, his confidence in the pocket, land that big hook. He’s gonna be slower, he’s gonna be sloppier. He’s going to be less motivated, especially at 185.”
‘Iron’ then went on to label McGregor a quitter and cited his various losses via submission against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz:
“The fact of the matter is, Conor McGregor is a quitter, especially when the pressure gets put on him. Look at the Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fight. You look at the Nate Diaz fight, the [Dustin] Poirier fights. I mean, when he gets pressure put on him… The guy who thinks he’s the alpha dog, doesn’t like the pressure because ultimately it’s just one big facade…The real Conor is a quitter.”
Check out his full comments in the segment below:
Who will win Chandler vs McGregor?
“The real Conor McGregor is a quitter.“ – @MikeChandlerMMA
Seems like Mike is excited for this one pic.twitter.com/YHan1cSEOB
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) January 23, 2024