Conor McGregor, widely known as The Notorious, announced yesterday that he is willing to fight with Michael Chandler on June 29th. McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021 when Dustin Poirier broke his leg. Yet, rumors claim that The Notorious will ask for a rematch with Poirier this year.
McGregor had to enlist in the UFC anti-doping program after being outside the UFC Octagon for a long period. His return was delayed again but the athlete might be in April’s UFC 300 card. The Notorious stated on Instagram Stories that the inaction about his fight with Chandler is reducing his enthusiasm. Dana White, UFC’s CEO hasn’t given McGregor a date to fight despite taking him through several tests. The following is a head-to-head analysis of The Notorious vs Chandler fight.
X-Factor
The MMA has never had a tough and witty fighter like The Notorious. His skillset doesn’t match that of any active fighter on the roster despite being outside the Octagon for three years. The Notorious kept Chandler waiting for his return throughout last year. He stunned MMA fans when he challenged Chandler in a weight class that none of them had fought in before.
Even so, The Notorious has more control over what occurs before their fight starts. Chandler, on the other hand, is level-headed and renowned for rattling opponents. He has to concentrate on the fight since a slight mistake will allow The Notorious to pin him down.
Chandler can opt to strike The Notorious. Still, he will need to use other tactics despite facing a potential knockout. Chandler will win the bout if he competes as a purist. Moreover, he is a takedown pro like Nate Diaz, who once pinned The Notorious down.
Wrestling
The Notorious is famous for his uppercuts and knee strikes. Chandler was a wrestler before joining the UFC and Bellator. He used his wrestling skills in a recent fight with Poirier and got three takedowns. Unfortunately, Chandler exited the Octagon in Round 3. But, his skills helped him pin Tony Ferguson down before he knocked him out.
Takedowns are one of McGregor’s major weaknesses. Poirier took him down in each of their lightweight fights a while back. Khabib Nurmagomedov pinned him down thrice before he lost by submission. Chad Mendes took The Notorious down four times in 2015 before he knocked him out. UFCStats.com shows that the latter has a 66 percent defense rate on takedowns. But Chandler has the upper hand.
The Notorious vs Chandler Striking Abilities
The Notorious’ knockout power and accurate strikes have made him popular globally. He was a fierce knockout artist earlier in his career. Nevertheless, he has regressed of late as he occasionally has a kicking game like the one he used at Featherweight against Poirier and Chad Mendes. Instead, The Notorious concentrates on boxing.
Chandler isn’t defensive like McGregor but one of the few shots he takes makes a huge impact in his bouts. However, Chandler has transformed to be well-rounded in the recent past as he throws different strikes. For example, his wild kick in a tough 2020 bout helped him knockout Tony Ferguson.
The former Bellator champion’s wild style and The Notorious’ changing approach make it hard to forecast if both of them will be on their feet when the fight ends. McGregor has an edge due to his high skriking power, accuracy, and defense rates.
Submissions
Chandler hasn’t excelled in submission since shifting to the UFC. He tried one against Charles Oliveira in their 2020 title bout. Yet, he is more likely to get a submission compared to The Notorious. Statistics indicate that submissions have helped Chandler win seven fights out of the 31 he has in his career. Marcin Held and Eddis Alvarez are some of the experienced grapplers who he beat by submission.
The Notorious hasn’t been lucky as he only won one fight by submission, in the 2012 Cage Warriors against Dave Hill. He tried only one submission in 14 UFC fights. McGregor has lost four fights by submission and Chandler only lost one. Therefore, Chandler has the edge in submissions.
Does The Notorious Have a High Winning Probability?
Chandler has keenly reviewed The Notorious’ technical regressions and has a high likelihood of knocking him out. Besides, he has reputable coaches at Sanford MMA (his usual training venue) who will urge him to win in any way rather than solely focusing on knocking his opponent out.
We might see early takedowns from Chandler. He won’t allow The Notorious to get back on his feet for long and will strive to deplete his gas tank fast. Throwing precise elbows and punches will help Chandler beat The Notorious in Round 3 by knockout.
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