Conor McGregor has been criticized by Chael Sonnen for drinking on “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) set.
The former two-weight world champion recently posted a picture of himself pouring shots of his Proper No.12 Irish Whiskey. He also uploaded a video of himself leaving the TUF house with many people assuming he was under the influence of alcohol.
During a YouTube video posted on Wednesday, Sonnen shared his thoughts on McGregor drinking on the job. The former UFC title contender labeled McGregor’s drinking antics as “weird”.
“Drunk Conor McGregor at the TUF house, video slipped out. I’m trusting you guys saw it, he made it. He was leaving the TUF house, stumbling out drunk,”Sonnen said. “He said something, I couldn’t make it out. Getting drunk appears to make Conor really weird. But what do you guys think about that? Does a drunk Conor McGregor stumbling around the TUF set interest you? I’ve never felt that they go hand in hand. Co-mingling sport with some kind of substance abuse, I just think is weird.”
Chael Sonnen Doesn’t Believe a Coach Should be Drinking on TUF
Sonnen doesn’t believe McGregor, who will be a coach on the upcoming season of ‘TUF’, should be under the influence of alcohol in front of his fighters.
“If you’re gonna be drunk Conor, you shouldn’t be drunk Conor in a mentor position over at the TUF house,” Sonnen said. “They don’t need to see you that way. It doesn’t matter who the guy is, if he’s coaching you, he’s not one of you. What part of that do we see as mentorship? What part do we start to judge Conor and say, ‘Okay, you’re not taking this serious.’ Leadership 101 is not, ‘I come over, put the troops in a tough situation, then hit the door and go to a good one myself.’” [h/t MMAMania]
McGregor will coach against lightweight contender Michael Chandler on the 31st season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. The duo will each train bantamweight and lightweight fighters. McGregor and Chandler are expected to fight after the show. No date or location has been announced but it’s expected to be at 170 pounds.
The new season will premiere on May 30 and conclude on Aug.15. It will air on ESPN and ESPN+.