Michael Chandler remains confident that he will still end up fighting Conor McGregor: “I don’t think he wants to stain his legacy”

Michael Chandler remains confident that he will indeed end up fighting former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor.

Chandler (23-8 MMA) and McGregor (22-6 MMA) wrapped up filming on Season 31 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ earlier this year, which is currently airing Tuesdays on ESPN until it’s conclusion Aug. 15th.

All along, it was hyped by Dana White and the UFC that the opposing TUF 31 coaches, Chandler and McGregor, would meet for a battle in the Octagon later this year.

McGregor is currently in the middle of a legal situation stemming from allegations that he raped a woman in the men’s restroom at Game 4 of the NBA finals which took place on June 10th in Miami, Florida.  McGregor denies all charges.

That’s only one issue of concern, the other being that the Irishman has yet to enter the USADA testing pool. In order to compete in the UFC, McGregor would need to undergo six months in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool.

Speaking on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel, Michael Chandler spoke of Conor McGregor and their cage match saying:

“I think Conor’s coming back. I don’t think he wants to stain his legacy by leading us all down this road of, ‘I’m doing the Ultimate Fighter, I’m fighting Michael Chandler – Oh, by the way, never mind. I’m not coming back.’”

Continuing, Chandler spoke of the USADA testing pool (h/t MMAJunkie):

“Supposedly there was a countdown with USADA, six months, and all that other stuff. That’s not for me to choose or decide. Have there been exemptions before? People are talking about exemptions. Of course, that’s all on the table.”

Concluding and giving a prediction on who will come out victorious, Michael Chandler said:

“All I know is I’m controlling the controllable, and either way, I’m gonna keep on moving forward, and I do believe I fight Conor within the next six months, and it’s going to be one of the biggest pay-per-views that we have ever seen, and I’m gonna go out there and knock him out within the first two rounds.”

While it would be highly unlikely the Chandler vs McGregor match will take place this year, barring an exemption from the USADA, ‘Iron’ is confident it will eventually happen.

Do you believe Conor McGregor will be back in action to fight Michael Chandler any time soon or do you think its all just smoke and mirrors?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!