UFC star Michael Chandler opened up on his potential fight with Conor McGregor where he addressed the rumours that had been surfacing all over the news for a long time.
The last time McGregor was in the octagon was during his fight against Dustin Poirier after which he spent almost two years out of action following a nasty leg break at UFC 264 in July 2021.
There had been rumours that the Irishman was taking PEDs during his recovery from the broken leg. McGregor gained weight considerably during his rehabilitation and many accused him of being on PEDs.
Chandler was asked during an interview with TMZ Sports whether the rumours of McGregor taking PEDs bother him or not to which the American had a clear say.
"Not really," Chandler said. "Everybody's on their own journey and everybody has their different ways that they would do things. Obviously, I've always looked at what you're alluding to as a crutch.
“If there was something that somebody was able to take while they weren't being drug tested compared to when they were, to me that would be nothing but a mental hurdle to get over because I would imagine if you were able to have that extra little bit of 'oomph,' if you will, when you don't have it how are you gonna perform? How are you gonna see yourself mentally? Who's the guy that you see in the mirror, with it or without it?" he added.
It must be noted McGregor, 35, said on New Year’s Eve that it would be the “greatest comeback of all time” while announcing that he will take on Michael Chandler in June 2024 in the middleweight category.
The Irishman lost three of his last four fights. Including back-to-back defeats against Poirier at UFC 257 and 264 and a famous submission defeat against the undefeated UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 on October 7, 2018.