Michael Chandler vs. Conor McGregor: Who are UFC stars backing to win in the highly-anticipated showdown?

After a long hiatus, Conor McGregor is finally set to make his UFC comeback this year. 'The Notorious' will take part in the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter and will perform coaching duties against Michael Chandler.

After the show, the two fighters will lock horns in the UFC octagon in 2023. The Irishman's return has gotten everyone in the MMA world excited, and many fighters have weighed in on the highly-anticipated matchup and made their picks.

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes that if Chandler focuses on winning the fight instead of receiving a fat pay cheque, 'Iron' could get the better of McGregor.

UFC welterweight and former title challenger Gilbert Burns is also rooting for Chandler to knock out the Irishman. But there are others who have picked the Irishman to win the fight against Chandler. UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush believes that 'Iron' will prove to be light work for McGregor.

'Mystic Mac's former foe Dustin Poirier has also picked the former two-division champion to walk away with the victory by saying:

"I would favor Conor. I think Chandler's very hittable, Conor's timing, you know. We'll see with the layoff, [that] too might be a big factor for Conor, but yeah, I would pick Conor still in this one... Conor's longer than him, Chandler slows down, [if] he does wrestle heavy to avoid the striking with Conor, he's going to slow down a little bit, and then he'll be more in front of Conor, and able to get touched. I would put money on Conor if the fight happens."

Check out Poirier's prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler below:

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Conor McGregor shares his own prediction for fight against Chandler

Conor McGregor believes he will "slice through" Michael Chandler in their upcoming encounter.

In a recent interview with Oscar Willis for The MacLife Official, 'The Notorious' said that he was different from Chandler's previous opponents and predicted to run through him in their fight.

“I think I’m just going to slice through him. I think I’m a little too slicy for him than anyone else he’s fought. A little too snappy and whippy. I think I’ll slice through him.”

When asked about his preferred weight class for the Chandler fight, McGregor jokingly said:

"185 [pounds].."