Michael Bisping thinks Conor McGregor may only need one win to get back to the title picture.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is 1-3 in his past four fights, but is undoubtedly the sport’s biggest star. The former UFC dual-champion has been called out by Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) on numerous occasions, and if that fight does come to fruition, Bisping thinks it could put him back into the title picture.
“Conor’s got all the money in the world, but he wants that (title), so you’ve got to respect that about him,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “And coming back against Michael Chandler, if he gets the job done, well, it wouldn’t be crazy to think about a title fight next. It really wouldn’t. Chandler is still one of the top dogs. If he beats him, if he connects, if he gets a knockout, my God – he’s in a title fight next.”
Bisping has had his fair share of online spats with McGregor, but doesn’t deny the Irish superstar still is a threat – especially with the power he possesses in his left hand.
“He’s still a very very good fighter,” Bisping said. “You don’t get to the levels he got – and OK, maybe a bit of a down slide recently – but you don’t get there unless you had something special to start with. So the fight with Chandler and McGregor makes all the sense in the world.”
McGregor hasn’t competed since he broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He mentioned a 2023 return, but won’t be eligible to compete until he re-enters the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool and completes six months of testing.
