UFC President Dana White recently shed some light on the rising tensions between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. Both were announced as coaches for the 31st season of the last fighter (TUF) in February and filming for the show began several weeks ago.
White stated that the pair of lightweight stars were initially on good terms and that things started to escalate last week. He appeared at the post-fight press conference after UFC 285 last night and stated that tempers came to a boil on Friday of last week. The UFC president alluded to multiple physical altercations, but finally shared some details by saying:
“[Michael] chandler and connor [McGregor] they were very respectful of each other and then some things started to escalate and you’ll see it on the show. Yeah, now they don’t like each other. A lot of shit happened on Friday… The things that just happened shouldn’t have happened and I’m getting old. I would have been there before in the old days, but yeah, it’s not good.”
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Conor McGregor has been known to overwhelm his opponents with a verbal barrage before their fight and is considered one of the best trash talkers MMA has ever seen. Many felt it was only a matter of time before ‘The Notorious’ collided with Michael Chandler.
Dana White seems to feel that things have crossed the line between the two lightweights, and fans will eagerly await the release of TUF 31 to see exactly what transpired.
Dana White on the possibility of Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou in the UFC
Francis Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 after an extensive period of contract negotiations with the promotion. Ngannou’s list of demands, including the option to explore the world of professional boxing, was rejected and ‘The Predator’ is now a free agent.
During Ngannou’s championship reign, many wanted the UFC to put together a super fight between him and Jon Jones. However, according to Dana White, Ngannou was never interested in fighting ‘Bones’.
Following Jones’ victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to become the heavyweight champion, White was asked if there could be a fight between Jones and ‘The Predator’ in the future.
Dana White responded by saying:
“I tried to make that fight. It’s done. It will never happen. We tried to make that fight with [Ngannou] for three years. Listen, we all want to see the fight, but [Ngannou] He has to want the fight.”
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