Conor McGregor is favored to defeat ‘washed-up’ Michael Chandler in his UFC rematch

McGregor has been out of action for two years, during which Chandler has fought four times, but Chandler is expected to overcome McGregor in his return fight.Colby Covington, the top UFC welterweight contender, has backed Conor McGregor to defeat Michael Chandler, claiming Chandler is “washed up.”

McGregor and Chandler have yet to set a date for their battle, which will be the Irishman’s first fight in over two years if it happens. However, they recently completed filming for The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas and are now awaiting word on USADA drug testing methods before their match can be confirmed.

Many analysts and fans are picking Chandler because of his recent activities, whereas the previous champion has been inconsistent in his off-season behavior. However, Covington, who is set to battle welterweight champion Leon Edwards later this year, feels Chandler’s best years are behind him and that McGregor will be able to stop him.

“I do think he beats Chandler,” Covington told Sportskeeda. “I think Chandler’s a little washed up now, you know, he didn’t even do anything in that other B-level organization [Bellator] you know.” He was getting beaten up by scrubs, scrubs with whom I had trained. I think Chandler is done, and this is a nice fight for Conor. Conor will go out there and Spark him. “I believe McGregor understands.”

Chandler is 0-3 in the UFC after leaving Bellator, where he held the lightweight title. He has been knocked out by all but one of his opponents, Dan Hooker, whom he knocked out in the first seconds, and with McGregor having bulked up significantly in the last two years, his power could be an issue.

Even though both fighters are lightweight contenders, the former two-weight world champion believes the bout will take place at welterweight. His new build would make it impossible to go down to 155lb in time for the fight, and Chandler believes he will struggle to drop down after bulking up as well. Regardless of their recent performances, the winner would surely become a title contender at lightweight or welterweight. And if Covington can beat Edwards for the belt, he wants to fight McGregor in what he believes will be the biggest event in company history.

“Conor’s done some great things in this sport,” Covington told the reporters last month in London. “He’s a fantastic fighter, but his time is running out.” He’s made a lot of money, so he doesn’t have the same desire. Who knows if he’ll return anytime soon?

“He still needs to get into the USADA pool.” If Conor wants to fight one day, it’ll most likely be the biggest event the UFC has ever done, as seen by the figures I’ve created for this event. Let’s do it if they want to sit down and believe that’s the biggest and finest fight they can have.”