Chandler opens up on filming TUF with 'wildcard' McGregor
Michael Chandler admits filming The Ultimate Fighter with Conor McGregor has been a ‘crazy blender’ of an experience… as he prepares for huge ‘pay-per-view war’ with Irishman later this year
- Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will fight in huge UFC clash this year
- Both men are coaching against each other on The Ultimate Fighter TV show
- Chandler has spoken about that experience and competing with the Irishman
Michael Chandler has spent weeks in the proximity of Conor McGregor while filming the Ultimate Fighter, an experience he describes as a ‘crazy blender’.
Chandler has been calling to fight the Irishman for a long time and was granted his wish earlier this year – as the UFC set him up as the rival coach on their long-running reality show.
The emotionally intense experience of competing as a coach and being in such close proximity to the man he will fight has been draining at times for the American but he says fans can ‘get their popcorn ready’.
‘You’re always thinking, “am I going to see him today or not”… and with Conor as everybody knows, he’s a wildcard, you don’t know what you’re going to get sometimes,’ Chandler told TheMacLife.
‘It has been a lot of fun, they force us into scenarios and it’s a measuring tape type of thing.
Michael Chandler (right) has spoken about what it’s like to coach against Conor McGregor
Chandler, pictured alongside his wife at UFC 285, will fight McGregor this year
McGregor, seen shaking hands with Dana White at the same event, is coaching on TUF
‘It has been a whirlwind to say the least, two competitors, two dudes who want to win this show coupled with all the fighters we’ve got and obligations away from family, on the road.’
‘I came in without many expectations but I’m not here for a long time I’m here for a good time to fit it all in and I’m being rewarded.
‘There’s definitely some good TV, this is what we signed up for, to be thrown into this crazy blender called the Ultimate Fighter, the fans get to grab their popcorn this summer.
He added: ‘You’re trying to wade through all your emotions in this thing, while you’re in the presence of a guy you know you’re going to fight.
‘You know every inch you take is starting the battle ground, starting to weigh your way in, it is a constant intense scenario.
‘I want to be a better coach, a better everything than him.
‘I’ve seen him moving around and it looks like the leg is healing up so that’s great, I want him at 100 per cent.
McGregor has not fought since the brutal leg break he suffered against Dustin Poirier in 2021
‘I want to give the world what it wants which is a knock-down drawn-out war on pay-per-view, hopefully in September.
‘The lights don’t get any brighter and the stage does not get any bigger than fighting Conor McGregor.’
McGregor’s return will be one of the most lucrative events of the UFC calendar this year.
He has been out of action since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and is under real pressure to secure victory, having won only once since 2016.
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