Dustin Poirier has backed Conor McGregor to "overwhelm" Michael Chandler if the pair meet in the Irishman's UFC comeback fight.
McGregor has yet to fight since breaking his leg in a second consecutive defeat to bitter rival Poirier in July 2021. The Irishman is eyeing a comeback this year however when he is able to make a full return to an MMA training camp, and he is expected to seek fights at 170lb.
UFC contender Chandler wants to be the first man to face McGregor following his injury and has even stated his intention to move up to 170lb to secure the showdown. And Poirier believes, having faced both men in the octagon, that McGregor would be able to capitalise if Chandler is forced to slow proceedings down.
"I would favour Conor [in McGregor v Chandler]," Poirier predicted in an interview with Eddie Mercado when discussing a potential clash between his two former opponents. "I think Chandler's very hittable, Conor's timing, you know. We'll see with the layoff, [that] too might be a big factor for Conor, but yeah, I would pick Conor still in this one.
"Conor's longer than him, Chandler slows down, [if] he does wrestle heavy to avoid the striking with Conor, he's going to slow down a little bit, and then he'll be more in front of Conor, and able to get touched. I would put money on Conor if the fight happens."
McGregor has just one win in his last four fights, including two defeats by Poirier and one against arch nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. However he will take confidence from the fact that his last win came against Donald Cerrone competing at 170lb where he will likely return after bulking up in weight.
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The Irishman has himself accepted the fight on social media when called out by Chandler, insisting the fight will be made before the end of his UFC career. However Chandler believes it should be next and expects that he is the lead candidate to receive the call given his resume at 155lb.
“People will say I’m chasing the Red Panty Night, and I’m chasing the payday," Chandler told ESPN. "And yes, that’s a part of it, it’s always going to be a part of the conversation that people talk about when you’re fighting Conor McGregor, but I want battlegrounds of epic proportions. I want the brightest lights. I want the biggest platforms. And what is bigger than fighting Conor McGregor?
"And at this point, him coming back, what is bigger than Conor McGregor stepping into the octagon with, I’ve got to be the most electrifying man in the UFC right now? It’s the biggest fight to make, it’s the most PPV sales that can be made right now, at this current juncture, in the entire world of MMA, I think Conor knows it, I think the UFC knows it, and I think it’s going to happen International Fight Week of 2023.”
