Things might be a little peculiar for Michael Chandler. The former Bellator champion is finally about to face Conor McGregor at UFC 303 on June 29th. Their clash is scheduled to take place after a year of long anticipation. The bout was supposed to be even matched, however, seems like the cards have started turning against Chandler even before the fight.

Despite being away from the Octagon for a prolonged period of three years, it seems like people haven’t lost any faith in the famed Conor McGregor’s ability to turn things around. Nonetheless, ahead of their fight, ‘Mystic Mac’ is getting immense support from MMA enthusiasts and now a former UFC fighter has come forward to state why it is not better to underestimate McGregor.

Dan Hardy stands against Michael Chandler for his fight with Conor McGregor

The last time Conor McGregor fought inside the Octagon, he was ousted by Dustin Poirier after injuring himself and breaking his shin. This horrible injury forced the former dual-weight champion to leave the fight world for a long period. However, he is making a comeback, and it seems like the support for the UFC star has not withered away.

Former fighters and fans are rallying against Chandler and supporting McGregor for his solid track record. Similarly, in his most recent escapade, former UFC fighter, Dan Hardy came in McGregor’s support for the June 29th fight. ‘The Outlaw’ in his conversation with renowned journalist Ariel Helwani explained that McGregor has the ability to defeat Chandler and it is better not to underestimate him even if he was away from the Octagon.

“I really can’t underestimate McGregor’s ability. He’s done very special things at very tense and high-pressure moments in his career. Headlining in Dublin with Branda, he just commanded that space so well. What he did to Aldo was an absolute masterpiece. I mean, it hurt as an Aldo fan to watch it go down so quickly because I wanted to see more of the fight, but he has an ability to control, manage, and create illusions with ease,” remarked Hardy.

He further emphasized that Conor McGregor works well under pressure. “That’s a very, very high-level operating system, and that’s not something that you lose by hanging out on a yacht.” Hardy’s words seemed like a warning to Chandler, but the extent to which he’ll heed them is uncertain. Nevertheless, it appears McGregor has responded to ‘The Outlaw’s words.

‘Mystic Mac’ reacts to Dan Hardy’s words for him

While in the conversation with Ariel Helwani, Dan Hardy issued a long paragraph praising Conor McGregor. At the end of it, ‘The Outlaw’ claimed that he would be betting on McGregor for the victory against Chandler, and seems like this absolute confidence of the former fighter in ‘Mystic Mac’ has caught the star’s attention.

The former dual-weight champion shared the video of their conversation on his X handle and wrote, “There is levels and in 7 weeks and 5 days you are gonna see the very, very top level. This next run is for the Clan! #BeenReady”  McGregor finally talked about his clan after his UFC 229, entering a consecutive winning streak.

While anticipation of his return looms in the UFC world, it is the expectations that the comeback is brimming with that has kept the excitement high up to the mark.