Michael Chandler predicts winner of Conor McGregor v Dustin Poirier trilogy & possible first title defense opponent

Michael Chandler has picked who he believes his first title defense will be against – Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier – if he wins the UFC lightweight title.

At UFC 262, Chandler will have the chance to write his name into the record books when he meets Charles Oliveira for the right to be called the 155-pound champion. Oliveira has been on an incredible winning run as of late, whereas Chandler has shot to the top of the lightweight division courtesy of a crazy knockout over Dan Hooker on his debut back in January.

Chandler vs McGregor?

If he wins the lightweight belt at UFC 262, Michael Chandler believes it will be Conor McGregor standing across from him for his first title defense. (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/qOrzFkMy2W

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 30, 2021

In all likelihood, the winner of the main event at UFC 262 will go on to fight whoever comes out on top in the third bout between McGregor and Poirier. When asked about who it could be that he’s standing across from in that instance, Chandler had the following to say.

“If I put my money on it, I think it’s gonna be Conor [McGregor]. I think he makes some adjustments, very small minor adjustments, and he gets the win in that trilogy [with Dustin Poirier],” Chandler said as per ESPN.

The idea of Chandler vs McGregor is a pretty exciting one all things considered, but there’s a long way to go before that becomes a reality.

Iron Mike noted that he feels McGregor only has to make some small adjustments in order to beat Poirier. But given everything we know about “The Diamond”, that seems like a bit of an understatement.

Chandler, on the other hand, seems to be as focused as he’s ever been heading into the fight against Oliveira. We’re talking about two men with two incredibly different styles that are going to mesh together in a really intriguing way.

Some have suggested the lightweight division is a lot weaker after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired. That might be true to a certain extent, but all you need to do to feel better about it is take one look at this match-up.

Whoever wins will be a deserving champion and will have a whole lot of momentum heading into the fight against either Poirier or McGregor.