Conor McGregor has dismissed an accusation that he has replaced The Ultimate Fighter contestants with his own acquaintances.
McGregor will serve as a coach on the upcoming season of the UFC television show, while Michael Chandler will train an opposing team of fighters before squaring off with the Irishman personally later this year.
McGregor, 34, arrived in Las Vegas last week to begin filming for the programme, and he has since been accused by sports agent Daniel Rubenstein of having replaced three contestants on his team with his own ‘guys’.
Responding to a tweet that revealed the roster of athletes for this season of The Ultimate Fighter, Rubenstein wrote: “Ken Cross, Mitch Ramirez and Brandon Jenkins all got pulled off to make room for 3 of Conor’s guy[s] to be on the show.”
UFC middleweight Chris Curtis reacted to the claim by Rubenstein, who does not manage any of the fighters in question, by suggesting it was “most definitely true”.
That prompted a response from McGregor, who wrote in a now-deleted tweet: “Not true. I only know 1 guy on this show and he put himself forward for it. And he is now, after today, set to fight the No. 1 seed!
“I didn’t ask nor request nothing! And I certainly didn’t have people removed. I’m just tryna get back in the mix myself so f*** off.”
McGregor previously appeared as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter in 2015.
The upcoming season will air its first episode on 30 May, and the series will run until August. McGregor and Chandler will then fight each other at an as-yet-uncomfirmed date.
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