Friday’s taping of The Ultimate Fighter did not go as planned, with Dana White saying things happened ‘that should not have happened.’
It sounds like things are already heating up between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler on the set of The Ultimate Fighter.
The two have been filming the show since mid-February, and what was once a civil and even complimentary relationship between the two has devolved into pure animosity. During the UFC 285 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White hinted at an altercation between “The Notorious” and “Iron Mike” during Friday’s filming session.
“Chandler and Conor were very respectful to each other,” White said. “And then some things started escalating that you’ll see on the show, and yeah … they do not like each other now. A lot of s— went down on Friday.”
“I don’t look at stuff [like it’s] good for the show or things like that. Whatever happens, happens,” he continued. “The stuff that just happened shouldn’t have happened and … I’m getting old, boys. I’m getting old. I would have been in there sooner in the old days, but … yeah. Not good.”
Asked point blank if things got physical, White said “There was a lot of s— that went down on Friday. Yeah.”
On Saturday night, the UFC finally released the full roster of fighters appearing on the upcoming season of TUF.
In the bantamweight tournament: Hunter Azure, Rico DiSciullo, Cody Gibson, Mando Gutierrez, Brad Katona, Timur Valiev, Carlos Vera and Trevor Wells. For the lightweights: Lee Hammond, Kurt Holobaugh, Austin Hubbard, Nate Jennerman, Jason Knight, Aaron McKenzie, Landon Quinones and Roosevelt Roberts.
The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler is set to premiere on ESPN and ESPN+ on May 30th. No date has been set for McGregor and Chandler to fight, but reports have the UFC targeting a September date.