Michael Chandler Has Interesting Response to Conor McGregor Steroid Rumors
Michael Chandler has weighed in on rumors claiming Conor McGregor took PEDs during his recovery from a broken leg.
McGregor's fractured tibia and fibula suffered during a July 2021 trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 is to blame for his inactivity. The former two-division champion also had issues with re-entering the USADA testing pool, but once that was cleared he took aim at the UFC brass for not booking his next fight.
While McGregor reportedly wanted to compete on the UFC 300 card, he settled for June 29 against Chandler.
UFC Fighter Ian Garry Throws Nasty Shot Back at Sean Strickland
While recovering from his injury, Conor McGregor bulked up considerably. Some have even accused him being on PEDs after exiting the USADA testing pool.
During an interview with TMZ Sports, Michael Chandler was asked whether or not those rumors concern him and he had the following to say:
"Not really," Chandler said. "Everybody's on their own journey and everybody has their different ways that they would do things. Obviously, I've always looked at what you're alluding to as a crutch. If there was something that somebody was able to take while they weren't being drug tested compared to when they were, to me that would be nothing but a mental hurdle to get over because I would imagine if you were able to have that extra little bit of 'oomph,' if you will, when you don't have it how are you gonna perform? How are you gonna see yourself mentally? Who's the guy that you see in the mirror, with it or without it?"
McGregor vs. Chandler will be contested in the middleweight division, or at least the Irishman claims it will be. "Iron" Michael Chandler has said that he is fine with competing at 185 pounds.
Some including UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier have been critical of Chandler, believing he has been letting Conor McGregor dictate the terms of their bout.
If you use any quotes from this article, please leave an H/T to MMAKnockout.com for the transcription.
Stick with MMA Knockout for more daily coverage of the UFC and MMA.