Chandler: Speed, power advantage will lift me over McGregor

Former UFC title challenger Michael Chandler thinks he'll have the edge in some key areas when he steps into the Octagon against Conor McGregor.

"Even with him being 170 (pounds), I think I have more power," Chandler said on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast. "And I do think I'm faster than him, especially because I'm going to be the same body composition I always have been for the last 30 fights, whereas he has a new body composition, which may or may not slow him down a little bit."

He added: "Grappling department, wrestling department, and overall cardio and toughness department - I think I'm better in all areas. He's better at the trash talk, and he's better at getting in guys' heads."

Chandler, the No. 5-ranked lightweight, is set to coach "The Ultimate Fighter 31" opposite McGregor, and they'll square off in a marquee UFC bout at an unspecified date later in 2023. It's expected to be a welterweight fight.

Though Chandler is confident he can beat McGregor, "Iron" acknowledged there will still be some tricky aspects to overcome.

"When it comes to footwork, angles, reaction time, (and) countershots, Conor is phenomenally better than me at (that)," Chandler said. "When it comes to poise in the big moment, he's phenomenally better than me at (that). ... I've fought big fights before - Madison Square Garden, UFC title fights - but this is bigger. And he's done this 20-something times. I've done this zero times.

"Not to mention the pressure, the animosity, the tension, the media obligations, the lead-up. ... That's something (McGregor has) grown accustomed to over all these years, and he's used to all of that, where I have to navigate that for the first time."