Arman Tsarukyan: Michael Chandler 'never uses his brain,' has to knock out Conor McGregor early to win

Arman Tsarukyan thinks Michael Chandler’s thirst for war will likely cost him against Conor McGregor.

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) welcomes McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) back in a welterweight bout, which headlines UFC 303 June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). McGregor will return from an almost three-year long layoff after breaking his leg in July 2021.

Chandler’s two most recent losses came to Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Chandler had his moments, but was ultimately outlasted in all-out wars. Tsarukyan expects the same approach from him against McGregor.

“He never uses his brain,” Tsarukyan said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “He always fights for the fans. He’s going to try to knock him out because he’s so dangerous in the first round. He can finish Conor in the first round.

“If it’s going to be second round or third round, he’s going to lose the fight. He has to knock him out in the first round or he’s going to lose that fight. I feel like Conor, his conditioning is better and he’s smarter than Chandler.”

Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Chandler have recently gone back-and-forth. Chandler criticized Tsarukyan’s decision to turn down a short-notice title fight against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 on June 1, and Tsarukyan fired back. Tsarukyan defeated former champion Charles Oliveira two weeks ago at UFC 300 to cement himself as No. 1 contender.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.