{"id":101598,"date":"2023-12-05T10:59:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T10:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritycovernews.com\/?p=101598"},"modified":"2023-12-05T10:59:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T10:59:59","slug":"conor-mcgregor-is-trying-to-wait-me-out-claims-michael-chandler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritycovernews.com\/sport\/conor-mcgregor-is-trying-to-wait-me-out-claims-michael-chandler\/","title":{"rendered":"Conor McGregor is 'trying to wait me out', claims Michael Chandler"},"content":{"rendered":"
Michael Chandler has admitted his frustration at the lack of movement of his planned fight with Conor McGregor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The American has had to bide his time, waiting for McGregor to re-enter the USADA testing pool, having all but been given the golden ticket to fight him by coaching opposite him on The Ultimate Fighter this summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He believes McGregor is ‘trying to wait him out’ in a bid to get in his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘I\u2019ve seen Conor talk about other opponents,’ Chandler told the MMA Hour. ‘I\u2019ve seen Conor talk about different dates.\u00a0I\u2019ve seen Conor talk, completely dismiss me and act like to fight with me isn\u2019t happening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘These are all ways that these guys try to get inside people\u2019s heads. Unluckily for them, your boy\u2019s bulletproof, alright? So we\u2019re good. So we\u2019re staying with the plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma)<\/p>\n
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Michael Chandler has been training for a year and is frustrated by the delays<\/p>\n
‘We\u2019re right where we need to be. I\u2019ve had a year, a year-plus now to think about and visualize knocking Conor out, watching all of his tapes, seeing the training footage that\u2019s coming out. I see that he\u2019s training, I see that he\u2019s coming back.’<\/p>\n
He went on: ‘Obviously he joined USADA, got back in the USADA testing pool. He\u2019s not doing that unless he\u2019s actually coming back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘So he\u2019s trying to wait me out, smoke me out, but I\u2019m going to be waiting here, man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘The greatest comeback in combat sports history, that road goes through one man \u2014 and his name is Michael Chandler.’<\/p>\n
Chandler was defeated by Dustin Poirier last November and has lost three of his last four, while McGregor has one win since 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The American is usually active and the period of inactivity has, he admits, caused him angst at times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continued: ‘[Have I been] frustrated at times? Absolutely. Annoyed? Maybe a little bit here and there. Because we get that rush, we love fighting, we love competing. I do train a lot so it is hard to train \u2014 even me, even being known as the guy who trains a lot and I live this life, it is hard to have your training but not have that carrot dangled in front of you and that light at the end of the tunnel of an actual date.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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McGregor is set to return against Ultimate Fighter rival Chandler next year<\/p>\n
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Conor McGregor is back in the USADA testing pool and will return to action next year\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘Anytime I find myself being frustrated, I believe I\u2019m always able to go back to my north star that, hey, it\u2019s going to work out the way it\u2019s going to, just like me coming to the UFC.’\u00a0<\/p>\n
When pushed for details, Chandler admitted he is still in the dark about when he and McGregor might lock horns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘I’m sorry, but I just don\u2019t have any information’, he said. Obviously that [UFC 300] would be a dream scenario. That\u2019s when I would like to fight, where I would like to fight, who I would want to fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘Chandler vs Conor is happening. I don\u2019t have a date or a location or a UFC number for you, but it\u2019s definitely going to happen next year.’<\/p>\n