"Be hitting hard these days" - Michael Chandler impresses fans with training footage ahead of much-awaited Conor McGregor clash

Michael Chandler will welcome Conor McGregor back to the octagon in the latter's highly anticipated return from injury sometime next year. Although no definite date has been announced for the bout, the pair have been set as opponents after coaching opposing sides on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Amidst speculation that the clash could take place at UFC 300, the No.5-ranked lightweight shared footage of him training to Twitter, captioning the post:

"Flowin’… ready when you are kid…"

Check out Michael Chandler's tweet below:

On the social media platform, fans reacted to the footage with mostly positive responses. @rul3z7 claimed that 'Iron' has added power, stating:

"Chandler be hitting hard these days"

@myoverhandleft applauded Chandler for his strategy, noting:

"I like the padwork strategy here. Too many people just stand still hitting the pads, I like that you have to be ready to block and move back out of counter range."

@EricCissoko suggested that the No.5-ranked lightweight move on from a potential bout against Conor McGregor:

"You’re not fighting @TheNotoriousMMA !! Move on"

@zmfr15 shared a prediction for the bout that they deemed unpopular:

"Unpopular opinion: Chandler will KO McGregor"

@thelad786 claimed that his life savings will be on Chandler:

"Got life savings on chandler lad"

@scatmuncher predicted that McGregor would never return to the octagon:

"@TheNotoriousMMA won't fight again, no point, he's got the bag and been f**ting through silk for too long now. Move the division on yourself Mike 💪🏼"

@DaredevilMMA believes that Chandler is wasting his talent:

"What an absolute waste of talent, sitting on the sidelines waiting for a guy who’s not even ranked or interested in fighting you right now lmao"

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John Kavanagh claimed that Michael Chandler is Conor McGregor's next opponent

While Conor McGregor has shared several potential opponents that he would like to face upon returning to the octagon, his long-time coach John Kavanagh recently revealed that Michael Chandler will be the first of those opponents. Speaking with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, the Straight Blast Gym Ireland founder was asked if 'Iron' would be McGregor's opponent and his response was:

"Yeah. In a nutshell, yes. The sparring we have been doing and the training that we have done, to date, has been with that style in mind, which is, to be honest, is somewhat Conor's bread and butter."

Check out John Kavanagh's comments on Conor McGregor facing Michael Chandler below (starting at the 6:06 mark):

Kavanagh added that the matchup reminds him of McGregor's UFC 189 bout against Chad Mendes, where 'The Notorious' captured the interim featherweight title. While the date for his return remains unclear, it appears that the former double champ remains intent on facing Chandler.