First look: Greatest questions, early bets, predictions for McGregor-Chandler

Editor’s be aware: This story was initially printed on Jan. 14 and up to date on Sunday following the official announcement of the battle between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.

Conor McGregor began off the 12 months claiming in a submit on X that he would battle Michael Chandler at Worldwide Combat Week on June 29. Now, the battle has been confirmed by the UFC, and there is loads to speak about on this fascinating matchup.

The battle can be a five-round contest at welterweight. McGregor is 2-1 at 170 kilos, together with two iconic matches with Nate Diaz (1-1) and a win over Donald Cerrone in 2020. Total, McGregor has misplaced three of his final 4 fights, together with a first-round KO to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, his most up-to-date battle. Chandler hasn’t fought at 170 kilos in 13 years. Chandler too has misplaced three of his final 4 matches, together with a loss to Poirier in his battle in November 2022.

Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim provide up their preliminary response to matchup changing into official. Plus, UFC fighters Dominick Cruz and Megan Anderson analyze the matchup and betting specialists Ian Parker and Reed Kuhn clarify their early greatest bets.

Lastly, McGregor vs. Chandler is official. What’s your greatest query about this battle?

Raimondi: How a lot does McGregor have left within the tank? The person was a supernova at his greatest from 2014-16. He singlehandedly lifted the game of MMA along with his work — within the Octagon and on the microphone. He grew to become the UFC’s first actual crossover celeb and stays the most important star within the promotion’s historical past. However how good can McGregor nonetheless be within the cage in 2024? He has precisely one victory within the final eight years and is coming off a catastrophic damaged leg that has saved him out since 2021. The UFC does not essentially want McGregor to battle at a excessive degree; its enterprise is booming regardless. However the sport is way more attention-grabbing with “The Infamous” knocking opponents out and apologizing to nobody for it.

Hale: Will the wait be price it? Though the act of beating McGregor has had diminishing returns through the years, the return on funding for the UFC and whoever stands throughout the Octagon from him stays exponentially excessive. This is not a battle. That is an occasion, one thing the UFC hasn’t had in a while. Additionally, good for Chandler ready this out. His checking account will thank him later.

Okamoto: Does McGregor nonetheless need to battle? That is the query. He says he does, and I imagine he does — at occasions. Chandler needs to battle. We all know that. Chandler resides an expert way of life across the clock. As everyone knows, McGregor tends to bounce out and in of that skilled way of life. McGregor loves the cash, the eye and, genuinely, the artwork of combating. However does he like it and wish it badly sufficient to make the sacrifices and focus it should require? We’ll know the reply a method or one other when this battle begins.

Wagenheim: Any likelihood the UFC Efficiency Institute has a time machine to move us again to McGregor’s prime? That Conor was a must-see. The Conor of at the moment is not more than a turbulent spectacle. I am not utterly bored with seeing what occurs between him and Chandler, but it surely’ll be like tuning in to NASCAR for the crashes. We simply watched UFC 300 and its full night time of athletes competing on the highest degree. I will take that any day over an accident ready to occur.

Early greatest bets

Parker: Take Chandler to win if you may get him at even cash or plus odds. No matter weight, if you may get Chandler at even cash or plus odds, the worth is with him. If Chandler wrestles, that ability, alongside along with his energy and explosiveness, could make him a nightmare matchup for McGregor.

Now, do not get me unsuitable, Chandler is extraordinarily hittable and McGregor is thought for his precision, however which model of McGregor are we going to see? He has been inactive for fairly a while and regardless of what some could imagine, ring rust may be very actual. And, with the battle taking place at a heavier 170 kilos, I imagine the additional muscle will negatively impression his velocity. Will the inactivity of McGregor catch as much as him? Or will he come again and take over the game but once more?

Kuhn: Lean McGregor to win. Chandler spends two-thirds of his Octagon time on his toes as an alternative of leveraging his NCAA Division I wrestling base. And so long as he is standing, his poor head strike protection is a big legal responsibility towards McGregor’s correct long-range sport.

At 48%, Chandler’s energy head strike protection is the worst of any ranked fighter, not to mention throughout the extremely aggressive light-weight division. McGregor’s group is sensible, and so they could have picked Chandler as an opponent for that reason. Although Chandler additionally likes to swing for the fences, he is suffered extra knockdowns than he is scored. Prolonged time at vary towards McGregor is not favorable if Chandler’s consuming at the very least half of all headshots.

Nevertheless, that does not imply Chandler is a pushover. We may see him exploit McGregor’s wrestling, thereby nullifying McGregor’s greatest weapons. However nonetheless, the mixture of McGregor’s accuracy and energy with Chandler’s defensive holes creates a lean towards the Irishman getting again into the win column.

What does a win do for Conor McGregor? What a few loss?

Anderson: Indubitably, McGregor wants a win right here greater than Chandler does. It is arduous to name your self the most effective on the planet when you do not have a win over anyone the general public would take into account among the many greatest on the planet, in current reminiscence. McGregor’s final huge win was in a title battle towards Eddie Alvarez in 2016. Since then his solely win was over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

A win for McGregor, at the very least for himself and his fan base, legitimizes the concept that he can nonetheless compete with the most effective within the sport.

Cruz: Conor cannot lose. We’re prizefighters and he is already received all of the prizes. So, he is already received. No person loses this battle. This can be a win-win. Usually one man loses the battle and loses the purse — that is simply how this sport goes. However should you lose the battle, and do not lose the purse, what did you really lose?

What does a win do for Michael Chandler? What a few loss?

Anderson: A win does not do a lot for Chandler. Aside from what it means on paper and the large payday, it does not do something for him by way of shifting any nearer to a title shot. Even with a win, Chandler already has losses to a lot of the guys ranked forward of him (Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier). If he needs to maintain competing he wants wins, however that is about it.

As somebody who was actively competing earlier than teaching reverse of McGregor on the final season of “The Final Fighter,” a loss on this battle would have an effect on his standing within the division but it surely would not be as impactful as a loss could be for McGregor.

Cruz: A win for Chandler doubtless retires him. If he wins and does not retire there are lots of people beneath him within the rankings who’re actually robust matchups. However, as I discussed earlier, this matchup does not do something adverse for both of the events concerned.

Even when he does not win the battle, Chandler cannot lose this battle. If he loses, irrespective of whether or not he will get stretched within the first two seconds or goes to a choice, he nonetheless will get hundreds of thousands of {dollars}. That is not a loss, it could damage his pleasure and ego however that is it.

We will not take a look at this as an everyday UFC battle. This can be a superfight.

Fill within the clean: The buildup to Chandler-McGregor at Worldwide Combat Week can be _____?

Cruz: Costly. I feel the UFC goes to place some huge cash into this. If this battle occurs at Worldwide Combat Week, it should have been almost three years since McGregor has fought. That is an enormous deal.

Worldwide Combat Week is sensible for McGregor’s return as a result of Conor is a global star. The UFC’s mission is growth and having Conor helps with growth into the worldwide market. That is the longer term.

Anderson: Entertaining. If you take a look at all of Conor’s prefight buildup, it isn’t at all times the politically appropriate option to go about issues, but it surely’s definitely entertaining. And each guys know tips on how to reduce a hell of a promo. The hype for this battle can be one thing followers will not need to miss.

What’s your daring prediction for Chandler-McGregor?

Cruz: McGregor will take a distinct strategy to get into Chandler’s head. Typically in the course of the build-up to his fights, McGregor can speak trash to have an effect on his opponent, however Chandler performs such a pleasant man that speaking trash to him could be arduous, even for McGregor. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how he responds to Chandler’s good demeanor. How do you beat down on somebody who’s prepared to make enjoyable of themself?

Anderson: This battle is not going the gap. Each fighters are explosive and athletic however neither of them has nice cardio. They fuel out as a result of they spend a lot power doing the issues they do properly and each have been out of competitors for over a 12 months. These guys are good for a brief period of time, however after they need to go two or three rounds, you’ll be able to see them begin to put on down.

Hale: I am with Megan, as a result of Chandler is his personal worst enemy. He may grind down McGregor along with his distinctive wrestling and put a beating on him with some vicious floor and pound. He may check his fuel tank out along with his superior cardio towards a person who hasn’t gone the gap in a battle in virtually eight years, and he was useless drained in that battle towards Nate Diaz. However, no. That is not what Chandler does. As a substitute, he’ll stand and commerce, play proper into McGregor’s wheelhouse and get knocked out. I hope I am unsuitable although, and Chandler showcases his potential to be a “blended martial artist”.

Raimondi: Chandler will maintain issues standing. Like Andreas mentioned earlier, Chandler was a standout wrestler on the College of Missouri and has used his wrestling successfully in MMA. However Chandler additionally can not help himself. He is an motion fighter and prides himself on how thrilling he could be within the cage. Typical knowledge could be that Chandler will take McGregor down and use his benefits on the bottom towards the Irishman, a precision striker with knockout energy. That will not be the best way Chandler needs to win this battle. He’ll need to knock McGregor out or, at minimal, have a warfare on the toes with the previous UFC double champion. Search for Chandler to go proper into McGregor’s wheelhouse and attempt to beat him at his personal sport.

Okamoto: Nate Diaz will present up. Traditionally, McGregor and Diaz do not prefer it to look that they care what the opposite is doing. Aside from a McGregor tweet right here and there or a Diaz quote when he is particularly requested about McGregor in an interview, they have an inclination to not speak about one another that a lot. However Diaz will field Jorge Masvidal on June 1, and whatever the end result, it will likely be apparent to everybody that when that is over, it is time to lastly do McGregor vs. Diaz III. On the very least, I imagine Diaz can be in Las Vegas when McGregor fights Chandler. It stands to purpose, to me, that he’ll discover his means into the constructing.

Wagenheim: The unthinkable happens. In his prime, McGregor would have pieced up Chandler like he toyed with Chandler’s working mate, Eddie Alvarez, again in 2016. However we have not seen prime McGregor since he outclassed Alvarez almost a decade in the past. Will Conor’s vaunted timing and precision be off a beat at this level? Will Chandler’s 20-month layoff uninteresting his sharpness, too? With so many variables at play, I am left to depend on the one fixed in all phases of McGregor’s profession: chaos. So, I predict that after an entertainingly unhinged buildup, the battle by no means occurs. (Why? Watch and discover out!)