Michael Chandler opens up on filming The Ultimate Fighter with ‘wildcard’ Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler admits filming The Ultimate Fighter with Conor McGregor has been a ‘crazy mix’ of an experience… as he prepares for a huge ‘pay-per-view war’ with the Irishman later this year.
- Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will fight in a big UFC clash this year
- Both men train each other on the television show The Ultimate Fighter.
- Chandler has spoken about that experience and competing with the Irishman
Michael Chandler has spent weeks in close proximity to Conor McGregor while filming Ultimate Fighter, an experience he describes as a “mad blender.”
Chandler has been calling to fight the Irishman for a long time and got his wish earlier this year as the UFC cast him as the rival trainer on their long-running reality show.
The emotionally intense experience of competing as a trainer and being so close to the man he will be fighting has been exhausting 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 everyone knows, he’s a wild card, sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Chandler said. lavidamac.
“It’s been a lot of fun, they force us onto sets and it’s like a tape measure.
Michael Chandler (right) has spoken about what it’s like to train against Conor McGregor
Chandler, pictured with his wife at UFC 285, will fight McGregor this year
McGregor, seen shaking hands with Dana White at the same event, is training at TUF
“It’s been a whirlwind to say the least, two competitors, two guys who want to win this show along with all the fighters we have and obligations away from family, on the road.”
“I came in without high expectations, but I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a long time to fit everything in and I’m being rewarded.
“There’s definitely good TV out there, this is what we signed up for, to be thrown into this crazy blender called Ultimate Fighter, fans can grab their popcorn this summer.”
He added: “You’re trying to get through all of your emotions in this thing, while being in the presence of a guy that you know you’re going to fight.”
‘You know every inch you take is starting the battlefield, starting to weigh your way, it’s a constant intense scenario.
I want to be a better coach, better at everything than him.
“I’ve seen him move around and it looks like the leg is healing so that’s great, I want him 100 percent.”
McGregor has not fought since brutally breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021
“I want to give the world what it wants, which is a never-ending war on pay-per-view, hopefully in September.
“The lights don’t get brighter and the stage doesn’t get bigger than fighting Conor McGregor.”
McGregor’s return will be one of the most lucrative events on the UFC calendar this year.
He has been out of action since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021 and is under great pressure to secure victory, having won just once since 2016.