Highlights
- Conor McGregor returns to the UFC’s Octagon after three years away for a June 29 clash against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in Las Vegas.
- Angela Hill, who has a fight of her own on Saturday, made a big prediction for McGregor and Chandler’s summer showdown.
- “There’s a lot of openings [he] can take advantage of,” she said.
The sports world will stop next month when former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor returns to action. The Irishman has spent almost three years away from the cage due to a severe lower-leg injury and filming a high-profile movie, Roadhouse. The ‘Notorious’ one makes his Octagon return against rival The Ultimate Fighter coach Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.
Ahead of the event, Angela Hill — who competes Saturday against Luana Pinheiro at the UFC Fight Night event at the Apex, Las Vegas — made a bold prediction to GIVEMESPORT regarding who wins in the McGregor vs Chandler bout, and why.
Michael Chandler ‘is beatable,’ says Hill
‘This is a fight that Conor McGregor can win,’ she added
The former Invicta strawweight champion Hill, who holds a pro MMA record of 16 wins (5 KOs, 11 decisions) against 13 losses, said she could envisage a number of outcomes for the big summer fight, and most, if not all, involve McGregor winning in some fashion.
“I really think that this is the fight that could get him back into that place where he just beats someone and then talks mad s*** for another five years, you know,” Hill told us.
“Chandler is beatable. There’s a lot of openings Conor can take advantage of just because Chandler gets hit, you know, and like all Conor needs is one hit. So this is a fight that he could win.
Hill added that McGregor’s antics outside of the cage may hold him back, particularly because Chandler is a durable fighter. “The way he’s been partying, we don’t know what version of Conor we’re gonna see. So it’s gonna be interesting to see the matchup. I think if Conor were to fight Chandler when he was still active or maybe even when he fought “Cowboy” Cerrone, it would be like a no-brainer.”
“Definitely, Conor’s gonna win.”
She continued: “But Chandler has a lot of skills. He’s durable. He’s tenacious. He’s been waiting for this fight for a long time, you know he hasn’t been partying. He’s just been training, coaching, doing whatever it takes to get all the money for this fight … So this is a big deal for Chandler, and he’s gonna bring his A game, and he’s had a lot of time to heal up and bring the best game possible. So yeah, I think Chandler definitely has a chance in beating Conor in this one.“
Conor McGregor’s UFC Career
MMA Record: 22-6 (19 KOs, 1 SUB), UFC Wins: 10, Best Win: Jose Aldo
Before McGregor decided to trade the cage for the ring and fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., the greatest boxer of this generation, the Irishman owned a UFC record of 9-1 while serving as the main event in seven of those events. There was no doubt the UFC knew they had something special on their hands with McGregor as he not only talked the talk, but at this stage in his career, he walked the walk.
When the former champ-champ left MMA to try to pursue a cross-over fight with Mayweather, many questioned if this was more of a business move or a new way to physically challenge himself. Following the respectable loss, McGregor sprouted his whiskey company — a successful venture.
The high of achieving generational wealth poured into his return to the UFC in an undisputed lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, who dominated McGregor. Since that time, though, he has notched only one win in the UFC.
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