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Gunnar Nelson confident teammate Conor McGregor will ‘kick the sh*t’ out of Michael Chandler in his UFC return
Gunnar Nelson believes Conor McGregor will make a statement when he returns against Michael Chandler.
McGregor just wrapped up coaching TUF and will face Chandler later this year at welterweight. It’s an intriguing matchup and one many are curious to see how McGregor will look after his broken leg and time off. But, Nelson – who is set to fight at UFC 286 and is a teammate of McGregor – believes the Irishman will run through Chandler.
“It’s an interesting one,” Nelson said at UFC 286 media day (h/t MMAJunkie). “If Conor trains properly and is in shape, he’ll kick the sh*t out of him.”
McGregor vs. Chandler is currently a pick’em so the oddsmakers aren’t sure who wins, but Nelson is confident that his teammate will get a stoppage win.
As for Gunnar Nelson, he is set to return at UFC 286 against short-notice opponent Bryan Barberena. Nelson is looking forward to the fight as he says Barberena is always an exciting veteran but Nelson is confident he will get a stoppage win early into the fight.
“‘Bam Bam’ is a stud. He’s a veteran and I’m really happy he stepped up… He’s exciting. I like his fights. He goes in there and he’s not going to try to win on points. He’s going to try to finish the fight,” Nelson added. “It’s exciting to watch him fight, and I’m excited to share the Octagon with him. I don’t think this one is going to the judges. I’m going to try to finish him as early as possible, but if not, second or third round. We’ll see.”
Gunnar Nelson (18-5-1) ended his two-and-a-half-year layoff last March with a decision win over Takashi Sato at UFC London. Prior to that, he last fought in September of 2019 with a decision loss to Gilbert Burns after losing a split to Leon Edwards back in March of 2019.
