While filming went relatively smoothly, Dana White revealed there were a few moments where tensions boiled over between coaches and teams on TUF 31.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler debuts tonight (Tuesday May 30th) on ESPN, and everyone’s wondering what kind of energy Conor McGregor is going to bring to the show.
You never know which Mac you’re going to get. Kind and gracious Conor? Evil s— disturber Conor? We’ll see, but according to UFC president Dana White, “The Notorious” and “Iron” Mike didn’t make his life too difficult during filming.
“It was good, it was smooth,” White told The Mac Life. “While they’re going to fight each other and there’s this tension, there’s also a level of respect between these two which makes filming a lot more easy.”
That was an interesting statement, given news that leaked from the show about a brawl that went down near the end of filming. Asked if that was the only incident, White said no.
“Well, there were a few, actually,” White admitted. “That was just one that’s had video footage of it. There were a few days and it happens. The thing that makes The Ultimate Fighter so great, is it’s a pressure cooker. Not just for the athletes that are competing on the show, but also the coaches, because there’s reputations on the line and you want your guys to win.”
“The coaches become very invested in their guys,” he added. “Every season all the coaches will say ‘I just came into this thinking I’d do my thing but I’m so into these kids, I like them so much.’ It’s part of what makes the show so great. The camaraderie and the relationships built on that show.”
The 31st season of TUF runs from May 30th to August 15th. Hopefully sometime in that run we’ll find out when McGregor and Chandler will fight.