Michael Chandler is planning to force Conor McGregor into finally putting together a fight date after the pair have spent time coaching on The Ultimate Fighter.
The former Bellator champion has been picked as McGregor's comeback opponent after two years out of the Octagon, but no date has been named for their fight. They are competing as rivals on the reality show before a venue and day will be found for the pair to fight in the finale.
However, McGregor still has yet to be tested by the US Anti-Doping Agency after taking time away from the pool while recovering from a broken leg. He will need a six-month period in the pool and two negative tests before the fight is able to take place, meaning he would need to join the pool in the next few days in order to book a September date.
“I just asked my management to start putting pressure and figure out,” Chandler said of McGregor's drug test status while attending UFC 285. “Right now, we’re at March. If we want to fight in September, he’s got to hop in the pool. That’s just the simple fact of the matter. We’ll see. I couldn't care less. I don’t care what he weighs, what he’s doing.
“How long he’s in the USADA pool does not matter to me. It’s another man with two arms and two legs and I’ve been doing this for over a decade, so I’m excited to go out there and compete against him. But, ultimately, rules are rules and we’ve got to figure out how to get around the red tape and all and get him in the pool and get him tested and all that kind of stuff.”
Chandler is particularly confident of derailing McGregor's career further, with the Irishman already riding a two-fight losing streak and fans unsure how he will come back from the broken leg he suffered two years ago at the hands of Dustin Poirier. The American has even predicted the finish will come in the second round, where he will "bludgeon" his rival.
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He continued: "I can tell you this, I see it going a lot, a much different way. I think I've seen enough of Conor over the last couple of week to know that I am going to not just slice through, but bludgeon him with both of these hands.
"And I will do whatever I want, both standing or on the ground and finishing by the second round. That's my Mystic Mac prediction and I stand behind it. There has been some tense moments here already, but Conor and I have a lot of mutual respect for one another.
"Although I don't know if we like each other as much as we thought we were going to. The good thing is we are set to settle it all under 4oz gloves under a certain ruleset in a contest later this year and I just cannot wait to get in there and do it."
