CONOR MCGREGOR WARNED HIS SHELF-LIFE HAS EXPIRED AHEAD OF UFC COMEBACK FIGHT

UFC legend Conor McGregor has been warned he is not the trash-talker or fighter he once was.

McGregor is gearing up for his first fight in almost three years when he faces Michael Chandler on June 29 at UFC 303 in Las Vegas. The former two-weight world champion broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in his last fight but is looking sharp in training according to long-time head coach John Kavanagh.

Chandler admitted he is mentally preparing for McGregor's mind games but doesn't think his rival is as witty on the microphone as he used to be. "I’m going up against the biggest and baddest trash-talker in the game in Conor McGregor, or at least he used to be. I think he used to be a lot better at it than he is now," Chandler told Shawn Ryan.

"I’ve never had to prepare myself for media obligations and being in the same room as a guy because I’ve always felt on apr linguistically as my opponent. When you’re going up against a guy like Conor McGregor, there’s a little bit more research. I’ve never visualised the trash talk side of things like I have now.

"I don’t have a psychological trash talk coach, but I am my own little encyclopedia of who my next opponent is and I’ve got it all right here [brain] to be able to pull it out when I need it." Chandler hasn't fought at 170lb in almost 15 years but will be moving back up to the weight class for his clash against McGregor.

Chandler thinks McGregor is going to suffer from ring rust having not recorded a win in over four years and questioned his rival's knockout power. "I am the better fighter, I am the tougher fighter and I'm the guy who deserves it more. I don't need to be getting into a firefight with a guy who has got a bigger rifle than me. I think I hit harder than he does," Chandler added.

"I think his time out of the cage has lent itself to his timing, movement and reflexes not being what they used to be. From the first exchange, I'm going to hit him with big punches, make him second guess himself. Pick him up, put him down and choke him if I want to. Go out there and get the finish."

2024-04-23T13:01:14Z dg43tfdfdgfd