Michael Chandler was caught by surprise when Conor McGregor put his hands on him.
On Tuesday’s Episode 6 of “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” McGregor used his two hands to push Chandler from his throat and face. Their altercation came after Team Chandler veteran Kurt Holobaugh came from behind to submit McGregor teammate and prospect Lee Hammond.
A devastated McGregor was brought to his knees after Hammond’s defeat as he vented his frustration on Chandler, who was basking in the victory. The two came face to face in the center of the octagon, prompting McGregor to aggressively shove Chandler.
“Well, hey, let’s just look at it: It went from zero to 100 very quickly,” Chandler said on ESPN’s “After TUF” post-show. “To be honest with you, I didn’t expect it. Obviously we’re ready to protect ourselves at all times. The first thing was, ‘Holy cow, OK, he just put his hands on me. What’s about to happen? Is he in my space?’ But obviously he backed up. I obviously got pushed back, and we both kind of started walking towards the center of the cage.
“He starts taking off his coat, and I’m like, ‘OK, what? We’re going to fight right here?’ Obviously you never quite know what’s going to happen. We’re on a reality show, but it’s also two dudes who want to fight each other. So I was ready for anything, and obviously I was ready to fight right there if we had to, but let’s be honest: We’re on a reality show.”
After the airing of the episode, McGregor went on Twitter to mock Chandler in a voice note.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 5, 2023
McGregor and his team of prospects have now dropped to 0-6 against Chandler’s team of veterans. Episode 7 of 12 airs next Tuesday on ESPN and will feature the second-to-last quarterfinal bout. The live finale fights are expected to be part of UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston, MMA Junkie recently learned.
