Footage of Conor McGregor shoving Michael Chandler during an episode of The Ultimate Fighter has now surfaced.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor, 34, makes his octagon return against Chandler, 37, at a yet-to-be-announced event later this year. The rivals coached against each other on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this year and the UFC have now released a trailer to promote the upcoming season which first airs on May 30.
In the trailer, which has now been deleted from the UFC's social media accounts, McGregor can be seen going face-to-face with Chandler in the cage. The Irishman threatens to break his rival's nose before forcefully pushing him in the face. UFC boss Dana White addressed the scuffle that took place in a post-fight press conference after a pay-per-view event in March.
“Chandler and Conor were very respectful to each other and then some things started escalating that you’ll see on the show," White said. "They do not like each other now, a lot of s*** went down. I don’t look at stuff that’s good for the show or things like that. Whatever happens, happens. The stuff that just happened shouldn’t have happened and I’m getting old, boys. I’m getting old. I would’ve been in there sooner back in the old days but not good, there was a lot of s*** that went down”
McGregor has insisted that he still has respect for Chandler despite their run-in whilst filming The Ultimate Fighter. Chandler, a former Bellator MMA world champion, has been calling for his shot at 'Notorious' since making his UFC debut on the undercard of McGregor's loss to Dustin Poirier in January 2021.
What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor shoving Michael Chandler in the now-deleted footage? Let us know in the comments section below
"We had an issue right, obviously tempers are flaring. It's a f****ng hostile thing," McGregor said on My Mom's Basement. "There is respect and admiration there. I like his style and he likes my style, we have a good little buzz and that's the way things should be. There is still a competitive fire there and I'm going to mince him, I know he's going to throw everything into his shots also."
McGregor expects his fight against Chandler to take place in later summer, but that is unlikely as 'Notorious' is yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool. All UFC fighters have to undergo six months of drug testing before they are eligible to fight and McGregor has not submitted a test since the third quarter of 2021.
