Conor McGregor’s return opponent Michael Chandler breaks his silence after September fight is confirmed with UFC legend
MICHAEL CHANDLER has broken his silence after being confirmed as the man to welcome Conor McGregor back to the UFC.
The pair will coach on the next series of The Ultimate Fighter, where contenders live, train and fight together to win a UFC contract.
GettyMichael Chandler faces Conor McGregor in September[/caption]
Conor McGregor coaches on The Ultimate Fighter with Michael ChandlerGetty Images – Getty
Season finalists then meet in a finale, while coaches McGregor, 34, and Chandler, 36, also headline against each other.
The American has long campaigned to be the man to face McGregor on the Irishman’s return.
And after the fight was announced for September, Chandler said on his YouTube channel: “Conor is the fight that I wanted.
“He has expressed interest in wanting to fight me and now here we are. The competition starts right now.
“We’re going to be stuck together in the same city for a month, or month and a half, but the competition is 24/7 the entire time.
“I want to win this thing; I don’t want to beat Conor later this year, I want to beat Conor badly on TUF. I don’t even want him to win a fight.
“I cannot wait, this is something that I have wanted to do forever.
“I’ve wanted to take off the fighter cap and put on the coaching cap, to usher these young men and women into the opportunity of a lifetime.
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“I get the opportunity to coach a handful of them, so now we build the hype and competition.”
McGregor has been out of action since July 2021, when he broke his leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier, 34.
And Chandler was most recently beaten in a New York thriller at Madison Square Garden by Poirier.
McGregor coaches on The Ultimate Fighter for the second time, following his 2015 appearance against Urijah Faber, now 43.
So Chandler prepares to spend weeks coaching against the Irishman and the mental warfare that comes with it.
I want to win this thing; I don’t want to beat Conor later this year, I want to beat Conor badly on TUF. I don’t even want him to win a fight.
Michael Chandler on coaching against Conor McGregor on TUF
He said: “I know Conor is already thinking of what it’s going to be like being in the same vicinity as me.
“Little gamesmanship, things he’s going to say and ways he’s trying to get inside of my head.
“I think it’s going to bring a side out of me that you guys may or may not get to see, because you don’t get to see how passionate I am about competing and winning.
“We all know we are excited about the fight. I can’t wait to compete against Conor and beat him.
“Leading up to it is going to be so much fun. I’m showing up to win from the moment my feet touch the ground in Las Vegas.
“Hopefully, this fight later this year happens in Vegas too.”
GettyConor McGregor and Urijah Faber coached on The Ultimate Fighter in 2015[/caption]
