Conor McGregor Furious as He Suffers 5 Losses in a Row on TUF 31
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 31 isn't going well for Team McGregor as they suffered their fifth straight defeat to Team Chandler in episode five. Ecuadorian American fighter Carlos Vera came up short in a decision loss to Brad Katona, and McGregor was sorely disappointed in the outcome.
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After the final timer sounded, McGregor declared that the fight should be a "Three rounder," gesturing towards the officials, "Judges, three rounds." (via UFC Fight Pass)
"five and 0," UFC President Dana White remarked as referee Chris Tognoni announced the fight was going to a decision. McGregor paced angrily, "Let them fight three rounds."
"Give them three rounds, lads! We want three-rounders here, judges, yeah? F*** this two-rounds --- It's five rounds for a world title! You ever had one of those world titles Michael?" McGregor shifted his tone towards his rival coach. "You ever had a five-rounder?"
"Yep, lots of them," Chandler replied. "And we won both... we don't need three rounds we won both," He replied to McGregor's complaints. "Every time."
Chandler has in fact fought in multiple five-round championship fights, such as the time he submitted Eddie Alvarez in round four for the Bellator lightweight title, or his five-round decision victory over Benson Henderson in a title defense in 2016.
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McGregor continued his dispute in the back rooms, "Dana [White] tell them three-rounds, yeah? ... The fight's not over ... They're unfinished fights. If they got unfinished fights, give them a third round," McGregor privately told the cameras. "The guy's fighting for their life here."
This marks the fifth straight loss for Team McGregor, and many fans are questioning McGregor's commitment to his team. "The Notorious'" TUF screentime leaves a lot to be desired, and the Irish superstar hasn't been present for all of his fighter's weigh-ins, nor has he been prominent in any of the training footage. On the other hand, Chandler appears to be deeply invested in his fighters, and despite them being 'UFC veterans', they are getting the favorable treatment.
Is Conor McGregor a Good or Bad TUF Coach? Twitter Reacts
"We don't know if he's a good or bad coach. More than half the time he isn't there. Kinda sucks. Entertaining guy to watch," one Twitter user replied under a thread about McGregor's coaching.
"In order for him to be a bad coach he would actually have to be coaching," another Tweeted.
"Bad coaching. I feel like he tries to implement his strengths and what he thinks a fighter should do in a fight instead of game planning to his fighter's strengths. And who knows how much he's actually there with his team. There's a lot of editing involved," another replied.
Some users are pleased for Chandler:
"Happy for [Chandler] seeing as Conor clearly returned only to promote his whiskey and fast program / remain relevant. I think he still has nightmares about that Dustin [Poirier] KO and doesn't want to chance it again," one user remarked.
"Maybe it's because you [Chandler] actually get in there and coach, as opposed to just standing about in a flashy suit, shouting like a drunk punter at a civic centre white collar boxing match... In fairness, drunk does pretty much sum up [McGregor] in any situation," another exclaimed.
We'll have to wait another week to see if Team McGregor can remedy this immense losing streak.
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