Conor McGregor’s technique is on point ahead of his return against Michael Chandler.
That is according to McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh. The Notorious has been out of the Octagon for around three years since losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. McGregor suffered a broken leg, raising questions over whether he would return. However, following UFC 300, Dana White confirmed he would fight Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. The question heading into the fight is whether McGregor will be the same.
The mass inactivity, accusations of a poor lifestyle out of the Octagon, and his age (35) could work against him. Other UFC fighters have shown struggles with leg injuries. Chris Weidman injured his leg against Uriah Hall 2021 at UFC 261. His next fight saw injuries on both legs after losing to Brad Tavares at UFC 292. While Weidman beat Bruno Silva in his last bout, there were suggestions that the former UFC Middleweight Champion should retire. But Kavanagh backed his man given what he had seen in training.
McGregor’s Coach
“He’s looking super slick…the level of mental intensity…We’re still always having conversations back and forth, whereas some fighters are like, ‘If I’m not fighting, I don’t even want to look at shows. I’ll just get ready when there’s a fight coming up.’ And that’s really held to him because he’s come back on the mats as sharp as ever. Of course, we’ve got to get the rounds in and get the conditioning up to be ready for competition, but his technique is as sharp as ever,” Kavanagh said
Nevertheless, there are suggestions he may be distracted by his life outside the ring. McGregor recently released his debut film ‘Road House’ starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Meanwhile, he has also been linked with a boxing fight in Saudi Arabia against Manny Pacquiao. His future in acting and boxing may depend on how he performs on his UFC comeback. So, Kavanagh’s comments have to be taken with a pinch of salt. But Kavanagh does not see Chandler throwing up a tough test.
“I said this from the start, I see similarities to the [Chad] Mendes fight. I’d be surprised if it can go two rounds. [McGregor] hits too hard, he’s too sharp. Is there going to be scrappiness and a few takedowns and stuff? Maybe. But every round starts on the feet and his ability to get back there is underestimated. So I’d be surprised if we see two rounds,” Kavanagh stated
McGregor’s Star Power
There are still doubts about whether McGregor can replicate his training on the real stage. Kavanagh is also unlikely to talk down on his fighter, given the need to promote the fight. That is why there is much anticipation for the fight. Tickets for the fight will go on sale on April 26. The top-tier tickets range from $2,750 up to $12,000.
Meanwhile, the cheapest tickets will cost you $700 to $2,500. McGregor has shown he can sell big, having the PPV record for his bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Their UFC 229 clash in 2018 sold 2.4 million PPVs. McGregor’s last fight produced a gate of $15,759,800, while his record was set at UFC 205 when he stopped Eddie Alvarez to become a two-weight UFC champion, bringing in a gate of $17.7 million.
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