"He always fights for the fans" - Arman Tsarukyan gives edge to "smarter" Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan believes Conor McGregor will have the edge over Michael Chandler in their upcoming bout.

McGregor vs. Chandler was officially announced at the UFC 300 post-fight presser, finally putting an end to months of speculation. The pair will headline the upcoming UFC 303 card on June 29 at International Fight Week.

The bout also marks a return to action for the Irishman following a three-year injury lay-off. He previously suffered a devastating leg break during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in 2021, requiring major surgery and intense rehabilitation.

Chandler will also be making his first walk to the octagon in nearly two years, after he sat out on the sidelines hoping to secure the bout against 'The Notorious'. Like McGregor, 'Iron's latest fight was also a loss to Dustin Poirier in November 2022.

With many fans and fighters now speculating on the outcome, Arman Tsarukyan has offered his take during a recent appearance on Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast.

According to the 155 pound contender, Chandler has a habit of throwing out his gameplan and walking towards his opponent trying to get a finish, which he believes will play into McGregor's hands. Tsarukyan explained:

"He [Chandler] never uses his brain. He always fights for the fans. He's going to try to knock him out because he's so dangerous in the first round. He can finish Conor in the first round...But if it goes to the second or third round, he's gonna lose the fight. I feel like Conor, his conditioning is better and he's smarter than Chandler."

Catch Tsarukyan's comments here (14:10):

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Arman Tsarukyan hits back at Michael Chandler's criticism of him turning down UFC 302 title bout

Arman Tsarukyan isn't happy with Michael Chandler and has hit out at the lightweight star for waiting for his bout against Conor McGregor.

'Iron' recently appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and was critical of Tsarukyan, after reports emerged he had turned down a lightweight title bout at UFC 302 against Islam Makhachev. It would have marked a quick turnaround between fights for the 27-year-old, as he had just got the nod in a grueling contest against Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Following Chandler's criticism, Tsarukyan took to X (formerly Twitter) and hit back at the former Bellator champ by questioning his own fight motivations. He wrote:

"I don't expect you to understand @MikeChandlerMMA. We are not on the same level. I am here to be the champ. You are just waiting for a paycheck. I also don't understand why you waited [for the] Conor [McGregor] fight for two years, you could've lost four exciting fights during that time."

Check out Arman Tsarukyan's response to Michael Chandler here: