Ahead of their mega-fight this summer, UFC legend Conor McGregor has been told he doesn’t hit harder than his rival Michael Chandler. McGregor is gearing up for his first fight in almost three years when he faces Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas. The former two-weight world champion hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 but is looking ‘super slick’ in training according to long-time coach John Kavanagh. McGregor has almost 20 career wins by KO, but Chandler thinks he is a bigger puncher than his opponent. “I am the better fighter, I am the tougher fighter and I’m the guy who deserves it more. I don’t need to be getting into a firefight with a guy who has got a bigger rifle than me. I think I hit harder than he does,” Chandler told Shawn Ryan. “I think his time out of the cage has lent itself to his timing, movement and reflexes not being what they used to be. From the first exchange, I’m going to hit him with big punches, make him second guess himself. Pick him up, put him down and choke him if I want to. Go out there and get the finish.” Chandler has been waiting for a shot at McGregor for over a year and plans to take his frustrations out on the Irishman by sending him into retirement with a win. McGregor is known for his getting in his opponents head but Chandler thinks his trash-talking skills have deteriorated over the years. “I’ve never had to prepare myself for media obligations and being in the same room as a guy because I’ve always felt on par linguistically as my opponent. When you’re going up against a guy like Conor McGregor, there’s a little bit more research. I’ve never visualised the trash talk side of things like I have now,” he added. “I don’t have a psychological trash talk coach, but I am my own little encyclopedia of who my next opponent is and I’ve got it all right here [brain] to be able to pull it out when I need it. “I’m going up against the biggest and baddest trash-talker in the game in Conor McGregor, or at least he used to be. I think he used to be a lot better at it than he is now.”
McGregor vs. Chandler: Chandler Claims Punching Advantage
