According to Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler is in for a rough night against Conor McGregor in their upcoming fight later this year.
The two are currently filming The Ultimate Fighter as coaches. Despite McGregor's long layoff after shattering his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, Alvarez predicts a difficult night for Chandler.
"If I had to guess, Mike Chandler doesn't wrestle," Alvarez said on The MMA Hour. "If he stands with Conor, Conor's going to knock him out. It's a mismatch. Mike Chandler's defense sucks. He doesn't have good defense or boxing. He throws bombs, but Conor's way too fast and quick to get hit with anything Chandler is throwing. So, if Chandler doesn't wrestle quickly and use that to his advantage, it's going to be a bad night for him."
Eddie Alvarez has a personal history with both McGregor and Chandler. He infamously lost his UFC lightweight title to McGregor at UFC 205, and he had a couple of memorable fights with Chandler for the Bellator lightweight championship in 2011 and 2013.
These bouts are still considered some of the best fights of Alvarez's career, and fans have been hoping for a trilogy fight between the two fighters for years. After his departure from ONE Championship last year, it seemed like the fans' wish would come true, but Alvarez ended up signing with BKFC.
He puts the blame on Chandler for the trilogy fight not happening.