Early Betting Preview and Details
You will not be able to bet on this fight on all UFC betting sites right now. Conor McGregor is the slight early betting favourite on Bodog, one of the sportsbooks that is taking early bets on the bout. McGregor has -115 odds to pick up the victory. Chandler is the early underdog. He has -105 odds to win the fight.
The Notorious Conor McGregor has not fought in the UFC since he broke his leg during a fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. McGregor was hoping to win the third fight of a trilogy with Poirier after losing to him by KO at UFC 257 that same year. This will be his return fight. McGregor has eight KO/TKO wins in the UFC. If this fight is a middleweight bout, he should still have more than enough power to stop Chandler in this fight.
In every fight Chandler has lost in the UFC so far, he has been put on the canvas by his opponent. He was dropped by Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier. He has not been great at avoiding strikes in the UFC and his chin has not been good enough to keep him from being knocked down. If McGregor is close to his former self when he returns and still has knockout power, McGregor should have a great shot at winning this fight by KO/TKO. But there are reasons to be concerned about Conor. He suffered a gruesome injury that put his career in danger, he has not fought in the UFC since 2021, he is 1-3 in his last four fights, and this fight might be at 185 pounds.
Does Michael Chandler Have a Shot?
Michael “Iron” Chandler should be a tough fight for McGregor despite his 2-3 record in the UFC. Since making his UFC debut in 2021 against Dan Hooker, Chandler has fought some of the best lightweights they have to offer in Oliveira, Gaethje, and Poirier. He lost all of those fights. But he was also competitive in all of them. Chandler has power and is willing to trade punches with his opponents. One aspect of his game that could help him in this fight is his ability to wrestle.
Chandler has shown the ability to take elite fighters down with his wrestling during his short time with the UFC. He should have a great shot in this fight if he can take McGregor to the ground. If this fight is at 185 pounds, it is possible wrestling might not be a great strategy for Chandler if his cardio is impacted by the weight. This is something to think about. If this fight stays on the feet, Chandler should have at least a puncher’s chance because he has fought three times - against some of the best strikers in the lightweight division - since McGregor’s injury.
More UFC Futures
A couple of sportsbooks are taking bets on the end of year champion for each division. You can place these bets on Bodog and sportsbooks at the moment. To win, your choice must hold the title without the interim tag. If interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was your choice, for example, last year, the bet would have lost because Jon Jones is the current champion of the division.
An important thing to note before placing a bet is how active the fighters are and how many fights you anticipate they will have this year. Three current champions fought three times in 2023: middleweight champ Sean Strickland, light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, and featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. But women’s flyweight champ Alexa Grasso, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, and welterweight champ Leon Edwards were the only champions with two title fights in their division last year.
