Conor McGregor would be open to coaching for a third time on the UFC's reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter.
McGregor, 34, recently finished filming for his second stint on the show by coaching against his soon-to-be opponent Michael Chandler. The UFC rivals are set to meet on December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as McGregor will look to pick up his first win in over three years in the pivotal clash.
The former two-weight UFC champion first appeared on The Ultimate Fighter for season 22 in 2015, coaching against featherweight rival Urijah Faber. McGregor wanted to fight the American as a "warm-up" for his title fight against Jose Aldo, but UFC boss Dana White opted against making the fight. McGregor enjoyed coaching against Chandler for season 31 and admitted he would happily coach on the show "non-stop".
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"I'm having a bit of fun to be honest with you," McGregor told the official UFC YouTube channel in an interview released to promote The Ultimate Fighter. "I don't mind Michael at all, don't mind the team, the lads. There was a bit of hostility at one stage but for the most part it's been a lot of good fun and happy days, I'd do this again, I'd coach this non-stop to be honest."
"I was recovering from the injury trying to work my way back and now here we are. I'm out here in Las Vegas immersing myself in the game. Coaching these young kids coming up who are trying to fight for their contract. Trying to give my wisdom and my knowledge of the game that I've obtained over the years, it's good to be back."
McGregor, who hasn't fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their July 2021 trilogy fight, believes that coaching a group of up-and-comers makes him better as a fighter. The Irishman reflected on a boxing class he used to run before signing to the UFC and how the experience made him analyse specific parts of his striking game.
"I couldn't turn down the offer, I enjoyed myself the last time. For me when I start teaching... I used to coach a boxing class a long time ago, before I even got into the UFC. Me committing to coaching a class almost forced me to dial in a little bit more. I had to think about the technique and why I was teaching it. It just allowed me to actually get better, so it works both ways," he added.
