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After weeks of rumors that Conor McGregor can be one of many coaches on the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” UFC president Dana White confirmed the transfer Saturday morning. Michael Chandler would be the opposing coach, and the 2 veteran MMA stars will combat after the present concludes.
This would be the thirty first season of TUF, which helped UFC rise to new heights in 2005 when Forrest Griffin defeated Stephan Bonnar in an action-packed combat within the finale of the inaugural season. White has lengthy credited the combat between Griffin and Bonnar as integral within the UFC’s progress.
A former two-division champion, McGregor has gone 1-3 since 2016. His most up-to-date outing was a June 2021 rematch with Dustin Poirier, who knocked him out earlier within the yr. In that combat, McGregor suffered a damaged leg that resulted in one other TKO defeat. Despite his lack of success lately and seemingly fixed authorized hassle, McGregor stays far and away the UFC’s largest star.
Despite rumors stating that Tony Ferguson may coach reverse McGregor, it’s Chandler who bought the decision. Like McGregor, Chandler is on a 1-3 run. After knocking out Dan Hooker in his Octagon debut, Chandler was given a shot on the vacant light-weight title in opposition to Charles Oliveira. Despite rocking Oliveira early, Chandler would undergo a TKO 19 seconds into the second spherical. He then misplaced an all-action brawl to Justin Gaethje, knocked out Ferguson and bought submitted by Poirier.
“The Ultimate Fighter” will air from May 30 to Aug. 15 on ESPN. A date and placement for the pay-per-view headlined by McGregor vs. Chandler has not but been confirmed.