Frankie Edgar picks Michael Chandler ‘all the way’ over Conor McGregor in middleweight fight

Frankie Edgar has his pick for the rumored Conor McGregor–Michael Chandler fight.

McGregor recently announced he will fight Chandler in a middleweight bout on June 29, an arrangement that hasn’t been confirmed by Chandler or the UFC. That hasn’t stopped pundits from picking a potential winner and speculating on how the former lightweight and featherweight champion would perform at 185 pounds.

At a recent Qandamp;A in Toronto ahead of UFC 297, Edgar was asked who he thinks will win the matchup, and he sided with “Iron Mike.”

“If this is at ‘85, I’m saying Chandler all the way,” Edgar said. “At ‘70, I think Conor has a shot in the first round, but I’m going Chandler.”

McGregor’s most recently fought at 170 pounds in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. The fight ended in disaster for McGregor, as he was unable to continue past the first five minutes after breaking his leg. He has been sidelined since the July 2021 pay-per-view as he recovered.

Years ago, Edgar, a former lightweight champion and a contender in multiple divisions, called for a fight with McGregor. The bout never materialized, but he thinks he had a good chance to beat “The Notorious.”

“In my prime, I think I would have done well with him,” Edgar said.

Edgar, 42, retired from competition in November 2022 after a knockout loss to Chris Gutierrez. During the UFC 297 broadcast, he was announced as the first inductee of the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame class. A date for the induction ceremony is still to be announced, but it typically occurs during International Fight Week in either June or July.

At the Qandamp;A, Edgar was also asked about other matchups that he wished he’d booked during his UFC run, but for the most part, he has few regrets.

“Not really,” Edgar said. “All my losses, I want to get them back. Maybe Dominick Cruz, that could have been a good matchup.”