Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler Named TUF 31 Coaches
The UFC has announced the coaches for ‘The Ultimate Fight Season 31’. The season is set to feature UFC superstar Conor McGregor who will coach against Michael Chandler. The pair will also fight once the season is over, but a date and location have yet to be announced. UFC President Dana White announced the news on social media.
TUF 31 will air from May 30 to Aug. 15. This means that we will not see McGregor and Chandler face off in the octagon until the season is over.
The UFC could have gone in a variety of directions with TUF 31. McGregor made it clear that he was interested in coaching the season, but the organization still needed to find an opponent. Credit to the UFC for prioritizing the fight rather than the show. Chandler was the perfect fighter for McGregor to make his return against; however, they could have found a fighter that would have made for better television. It is good to see the organization focus on the former.
This fight will be crucial in keeping McGregor’s UFC career alive. With a 1-2 record in his last three, McGregor is danger of losing the shine that makes him special. You could argue that it is already gone, but a win over Chandler would help him regain that aura while a loss would send him in a downward spiral.
Meanwhile, Chandler has earned a fight against McGregor after proving to be one of the most entertaining fighters in the promotion. It is more than likely that this bout between Chandler and McGregor will likely be a war.
McGregor will be must watch television on TUF 31. In his first time coaching the show, McGregor was apart of one of the most entertaining seasons when he coached against Urijah Faber in “The Ultimate Fighter 22”. If anyone can save TUF, it is McGregor.
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