Conor McGregor, the notorious UFC superstar, has caused a stir by choosing to serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31. Additionally, the anticipation for his match against Michael Chandler in the Octagon later this year following TUF 31 is at an all-time high.
In a recent interview with TheMacLife, McGregor revealed his motive behind fully immersing himself in the fighting environment and regaining his competitive edge. American fight fans are eagerly anticipating McGregor’s return to the Octagon and can’t wait to see how his journey unfolds.
“To be fully immersed. To be immersed in the game and in the business, the company. Being around these young, hungry fighters that are coming up, put myself right in the mix and get right back on the horse.”
“That was my motivation and my reason for doing it. Give back to the game, give my wisdom and my knowledge to the next generation and then feed off that energy also.”
McGregor continued by highlighting the differences between his coaching approach during his first TUF appearance against Urijah Faber and this most recent matchup with Chandler.
“It’s very different,” McGregor said. “I came off a heavy training camp, heavy bout itself…had a big gash in the eye coming in with the belt. I didn’t really train with them. While I gave them what I gave them, we won the show, it was a great showing, but this one’s a lot different. I’m also incorporating my own training and starting to get into it all.
“The lads have that energy, that anxiety, that mentality now. Now they’ll be able to go home and rest and know they’ve had that feeling…you’ve gotta carry yourself like it’s on every day.”
While some people have questioned Conor McGregor’s teaching approach during his previous stint as an opponent on TUF 22, where he was criticized for being too hands-off, McGregor is determined to bring his elite experience to the mats this time around.
Even though he delegated most of the work to his assistants during his previous coaching stint, his team went on to win the season.