Eddie Alvarez has some advice for Michael Chandler ahead of Conor McGregor fight
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez has detailed what Michael Chandler needs to do to have success against Conor McGregor.
While McGregor vs. Chandler doesn’t have an official date, UFC President Dana White is hoping to book the fight before the year is out. McGregor recently cleared up his issues with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). He’s expected to reenter the testing pool soon.
Eddie Alvarez’s Advice
Speaking to ESPN, Alvarez expressed his belief that Chandler should look to grapple with the “Notorious” one early in their fight (h/t MMAJunkie).
“Mike Chandler is a hell of an athlete,” Alvarez told ESPN. “I just think stylistically, the way he’s been fighting and the strategy he’s been going about fighting isn’t the way to get it done against Conor McGregor. And I would implore him if I was his coach to change his style, to go for single legs, to go for shots, and force Conor to wrestle early.
“You have to force him to wrestle early so he don’t have the powerful tools that he’s able to take advantage of (against) all these other guys – quick feet, good range, great striking. You take that away when you wrestle him early. Wrestle him early enough and tire his shoulders down, tire his legs down, slow him down, and he’s half the striker that he can be when he’s fully energized.”
Chandler has been known to ditch his wrestling in favor of the standup, for better or worse. It’ll be interesting to see if he will decide to grapple with McGregor in an attempt to wear him down and eventually finish him. He may also look to go for the leg kicks. McGregor had to recover from a broken tibia and fibula after his most recent outing against Dustin Poirier back in July 2021.
Topics:
Conor McGregor Eddie Alvarez Michael Chandler UFC
