“Conor can still knock him out in the first round, but if the fight lasts more than one round, Chandler will beat him,” the Russian fighter told John McCarthy and Josh Thomson. “Chandler has always had conditioning problems, sometimes he fights like a fool, does something crazy, but I think he can beat Conor. When he fights smart, he becomes a high-level fighter. He’s got a hard punch, good wrestling, and he just has to fight smart.”
“On the other hand, if Chandler always fought smart and calculated, he never would have gotten the Conor fight. He was losing with a purpose and now he has a chance. He was giving the fans what they wanted and now he has a chance to make good money.”
Makhachev also confirmed that if McGregor wins, he is ready to share the octagon with him in August or September.
Recall that the Russian is currently completing preparations for a fight against Dustin Puryear, who will headline UFC 302 in Newark on June 1.