Ever since Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler were paired on ‘The Ultimate Fighter 31’, the level of competitiveness between the two was extremely high. Both never hesitated to have a verbal go at each other whenever they got the opportunity. The fight eventually fell through, but UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes both McGregor and Chandler have similarities.

Conor McGregor is the biggest achiever in mixed martial arts, and hardly anybody would refute that. Despite the lackluster performance in recent times, he’s still a big draw. Meanwhile, Michael Chandler is nowhere near McGregor’s level of stardom. So what kind of similarity is Chael Sonnen talking about? Well, it’s linked to their respective records.

Chael Sonnen highlights the similarities between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler

Conor McGregor hasn’t been on the rankings list since he went on a 3-year-long hiatus. He hasn’t won a fight since he beat Donald Cerrone in 2020. Meanwhile, things are quite the same with Michael Chandler. He has also been on a lengthy hiatus and hasn’t found success in the past few years. This is what makes them similar to each other, according to Chael Sonnen.

“Conor and Chandler have a couple of things in common. One, they haven’t fought in a meaningful period of time. Two, they’re not 170-pounders. Three. They both lost their last fights. As a matter of fact, I think they lost their last couple of fights,” Chael Sonnen told Andrew Schulz and Co. on Flagrant.

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Furthermore, Sonnen stressed the kind of buzz that Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler has created, given that their records do not reflect them as headliners, is unusual. “There is nothing that a main event or a top draw or a box office hit ever in history has these ingredients that you talk about. This is a very unique thing,” Sonnen added.

Having spoken about the similarities between the two, Sonnen made another admission. A whole lot of casual MMA fans, and even some hardcore MMA fans may claim Conor McGregor to be their favorite fighter, given the impact he’s had on the sport. But guess what? Chael Sonnen’s not getting on the same bandwagon. Instead, he hopped on Michael Chandler’s wagon.

Sonnen picks Chandler as his favorite fighter

Waiting on the sidelines for his ‘red panty night’ against Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler hasn’t sat idle. He has been busy and has increased his online visibility by collaborating with YouTuber Jesse James West. Chandler also appeared on WWE’s Monday Night Raw and showed how much charisma he got when he called out McGregor live on air.

With these antics, Chandler has earned himself a fan in Chael Sonnen, who seemed very impressed with Iron’s recent antics and said on the Flagrant podcast that he couldn’t have enough of Chandler. Sonnen also called Iron his favorite fighter in the world.

What do you make of Chael Sonnen’s claims about the similarities between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.