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MMA

Is Michael Chandler the right opponent for Conor McGregor's UFC return?

Is Michael Chandler the right opponent for Conor McGregor's UFC return?DAZN

A date or venue may not have been announced, but anticipation is already building ahead of Conor McGregor's return to the UFC. 

Dana White revealed that the Irishman will indeed return to the Octagon later this year where he will take on Michael Chandler after the two have gone head-to-head as coaches on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. 

There maybe no UFC titles on the line when they clash, but it's sure to be an exciting matchup, but is Chandler the right opponent for McGregor's first UFC fight since July 2021? 

Dan Hardy discussed this question on the latest episode of The DAZN MMA Show and believes Chandler's reckless style may not work against the former champion. 

"I feel like we have seen two different versions of Michael Chandler and unfortunately by the time he arrived in the UFC, it felt like he was cashing in on his ability to have a big, exciting fights," Hardy claimed. 

"You go back to when he fought Sidney Outlaw or Pitbull, the speed off the mark with his single punch power as well as the level changing underneath would be a real problem for Conor to deal with.

"But I feel this version of Michael Chandler that we’ve got is far more adamant to have just wild fights.

"I don’t know if that’s the smart way to go with McGregor because you’re not going to get a wild fight out of McGregor until he gets tired.

"You’re going to have to work hard for 10 minutes to make him tired before he starts to look sloppy because he’s never going to choose to be reckless, whereas Chandler has chosen to be reckless in his recent fights."

Watch the full episode of The DAZN MMA Show on Conor McGregor's return here

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