Michael Chandler has boasted he "barely felt" Conor McGregor's shove after new footage emerged of the UFC rivals coming to blows.
McGregor is expected to make his long-awaited return to the octagon this year after nearly two years out following a broken leg, against UFC contender Chandler. The fight will come as part of the latest series of the promotion's series The Ultimate Fighter, and the pair have already filmed the coaching stint of the competition in Las Vegas.
It was expected the pair would get on given the way they respectfully discussed each other just days after their potential showdown was announced. However a report indicated the pair had come to blows in a violent brawl on set which had been caught live on camera during filming.
New footage has since come to light which shows a brief glimpse of the incident which came as the pair trash talked, causing McGregor to lash out and shove his rival in the face. After the video went viral on social media, Chandler was quick to publicise a brief response, tweeting: "Barely felt it… #tuf31."
The series is set to premiere later this month where the full extent of the clash will likely be revealed, despite the pair since admitting they have made up. Even following the incident McGregor and Chandler have spoken highly of each other in a fighting sense, but admitted they would never be best of friends outside of the sport.
After many years in the UFC, McGregor has become notorious for his brash personality and trash-talking which has seen him build some huge rivalries including with Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Chandler will be hoping that this rivalry will continue to build, as he looks to hand McGregor a third consecutive defeat to derail his comeback plans.
Who do you think will win their UFC fight - Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler? Let us know in the comments section below
A win for the 34-year-old could revive his career and see him push for a title shot at 170lb where he is expected to fight Chandler given his weight gain. And he has confidently predicted he will be too much for the American on the night despite his hiatus from fighting action.
He told The Mac Life: "I like Michael, I had a good little buzz with him yesterday. I have no issues with him at all. I think he's a good fighter. Just having a buzz with him, he's a nice guy. I think I'm just gonna slice through him. I think I'm a little too slicey for him than anyone else he's fought – a little too snappy and whippy.
"He's more of an athlete type of a guy than a technical martial artist. I know he's got some skills in the wrestling department, and he's got some skills overall, but as far as like the small, finer details, I'm not sure. I'm happy where I'm at. It will be an interesting one before I go against him."
