Conor McGregor plans to use the steel rod in his leg as a weapon in his UFC comeback fight against Michael Chandler.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor needed a metal plate fitted into his leg after suffering a horror injury in his July 2021 trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. The Irishman hasn't fought since but will make his return against Chandler at the end of the year after coaching against him on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Whilst previewing the newest season of the UFC's reality TV show, McGregor said of Chandler: "I'm going to kick this guy in the head, he is just tailor-made for being kicked all over the place. That's what I'm aiming for, I'm aiming to wrap this steel bar around the opponent. You're going to see a visual of the leg hanging off and then you're going to see a visual of a head hanging off.
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"He's put on some good exciting fights, he is eager and is willing to fight. He is a gamer as you would call them and not a bad fighter either. I'm happy with the opponent but I don't actually care. I accepted this show [The Ultimate Fighter] as it was me and Chandler I said it actually doesn't bother me."
McGregor has brought in an NCAA Division One wrestler to his training camp to prepare for the accomplished wrestling credentials of Chandler. The Irishman isn't looking past Chandler but admits he is keeping a close eye on champions of other divisions for potential fights, such as featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
"What do I hope for in this world, I hope for 100 more fights," McGregor added. "I hope for consistency and a run. I've had this on-off, on-off for the last while and I just want to get this nice consistency. I hope that after I come back this is where it's at. I like 170lb, I like 155lb and even the 145lb champion, that would be a nice one at some stage. All of them."
McGregor's fight against Chandler will be announced during an upcoming episode of The Ultimate Fighter, but it's expected the bout will take place on December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 'Notorious' will hope to pick up his first win in over three years in the fight whilst Chandler looks to bounce back to winning ways after being tapped out by Poirier last November.
