As the latest edition of The Ultimate Fighter rolls on, concerns about whether coaches Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor will even fight continue to hike.
Team Chandler is currently steam-rolling Team McGregor in the series- with seven wins on the trot for the resurgent veterans over the newbie prospects.
McGregor’s crumbling demeanour following every loss reached a flashpoint in episode six when the Irishman forcefully shoved Chandler in the face following Kurt Holobaugh’s guillotine choke on Lee Hammond.
The indomitable orator in the sport now resembles a man who is lost for words as his team’s succession of defeats leaves him assessing the totality of what is unfolding in front of him.
“What happens if it’s a clean sweep?”, McGregor asked UFC President Dana White following the latest defeat.
The former UFC two-division champion became accustomed to the elements of defeat during his own MMA career, but this is a whole new spectrum of drubbing that McGregor simply cannot fathom.
Constant defeat to Chandler in TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) has presumably pushed McGregor away from signing a fight deal with the American. The setup of this year’s edition of TUF has sparked criticism- as the vets versus the prospects model is seemingly far too one-sided.
However, there is also the argument that McGregor has simply lost interest in the UFC scene, and it is showing in his team’s dismal display so far.
Hopes for a bout in 2023 are certainly ruled out, with McGregor failing the re-enter the USADA testing pool, having last been tested at the end of 2021. Dana White has publicly stated that McGregor must be in the pool for at least six months to be eligible for a fight.
Dana White will certainly be licking his lips at the prospect of the Irish crowd-puller making his eagerly anticipated return to the Octagon, with the prospect of a fight next year dubious at best.
The question is; does McGregor even need to fight? He certainly doesn’t need the dough.
Following his back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier- which according to Forbes netted him around $55 million (£42 million)- McGregor deviated away from the UFC and embarked on a mission to expand his entrepreneurial portfolio.
In 2021, McGregor sold his majority stake in Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits for an estimated $150 million (£114,582,540) in April 2021.
AugustMan also reported some of his other lucrative business ventures earlier this year- which include properties all over Ireland, Spain and America, a high-end clothing brand tailored for celebrities, a plant-based therapy venture, and the Black Forge Inn located in Dublin.
In an interview with the UFC’s Megan Olivi, McGregor revealed that he has earned $650 million during his career and is closing in on the billion-dollar mark. He is fast-tracked to become the first billionaire produced from the MMA scene.
Fighting Chandler for the money may be the only appeal for McGregor, and even then, his expenditure seems boundless.
The scenario for McGregor is simple; no fight with Chandler and his untouchable legacy in the UFC remains. Fight Chandler and win or lose, McGregor’s legacy also remains intact.
It’s impossible to predict whether we’ll see McGregor return to the Octagon at all, let alone against Chandler.
“The guys coaching The Ultimate Fighter have historically never not fought,” Chandler told Barstool Sports. “So, Conor coming back, I’m the fight, we just don’t know when it’s going to be.
“USADA testing, Conor’s leg, Conor’s partying, all these different things that people are talking about because people are so interested in him as a character outside of the Octagon and also the fighter inside the Octagon”, Chandler concluded.
McGregor’s fractured tibia and fibula which he picked up in his third showdown with Dustin Poirier coupled with his recent antics have sparked questions about the fighter’s headspace and if he’s in any condition to fight.
Former UFC fighter Matt Brown said McGregor is constantly “juiced out his mind”, current welterweight Belal Muhammad tweeted “drugs made him think he was in a real fight” following his assault on an NBA mascot, and Joe Rogan stated McGregor looks like his urine would melt a drug-testing cup.
This is pure speculation of course, but obviously, those who are well-established in the MMA circle feel McGregor has spent his last two years on a wild tangent.
McGregor himself tweeted earlier this month that he is looking forward to his upcoming fight and he is “well prepared”.
The future of the iconic Irishman is one of prosper outside the Octagon, but his time inside it may be slowly becoming a distant memory for UFC fans eagerly awaiting his return.
