"Who backs out of the pocket first?" - Michael Chandler points out "nervous tension" in Conor McGregor during intense face off at UFC TUF

Conor McGregor is slated to make his much-awaited return this year against Michael Chandler. The two have been expected to face each other for quite some time now, ever since they squared off as coaches of opposing teams on season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter.'

The fight, however, has been pushed consistently for a variety of different reasons.

Chandler recently posted a clip of one of their face-offs and described the tension that he claimed to induce in his opponent. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"What it looks like when you stand in front of a man that is steadfast and immovable. Watch the happy-go-lucky nervous tension in him. Who backs out of the pocket first? Are we friends @TheNotoriousMMA?"

McGregor announced at the start of the new year that the two will fight at International Fight Week, but has since also teased a feature on the historic UFC 300 card.

Check out Michael Chandler's post below:

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Michael Chandler labels Conor McGregor a 'quitter' ahead their impending matchup

McGregor, in his announcement, implied that the bout would take place at 185 pounds, and Michael Chandler has since reacted to the idea of fighting at middleweight.

He previewed how a heavier McGregor will fail to reproduce his dynamic movement and will be slower. In an interview on Bussin' With The Boys, he said:

“I think, the fact of the matter is he’s not going to be able to move like the Conor of old. The reason we as an MMA community loved and studied and were mystified by Conor was his movement, his angles, his confidence in the pocket, land that big hook. He’s gonna be slower, he’s gonna be sloppier. He’s going to be less motivated, especially at 185."

'Iron' then stated that Conor McGregor was a quitter and mentioned his losses via submission against former champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz to supplement his argument. He said:

"The fact of the matter is, Conor McGregor is a quitter, especially when the pressure gets put on him. Look at the Khabib [Nurmagomedov] fight. You look at the Nate Diaz fight, the [Dustin] Poirier fights. I mean, when he gets pressure put on him... The guy who thinks he's the alpha dog, doesn't like the pressure because ultimately it's just one big facade...The real Conor is a quitter.”

Check out his comments in the post below: