Cast member Kurt Holobaugh gives MMA Junkie an exclusive, inside look at “The Ultimate Fighter 31: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.”
“The Ultimate Fighter 31” is ongoing with coaches [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] attracting more eyeballs back to the series.
This season, which features eight lightweights and eight bantamweights, airs Tuesdays on ESPN. McGregor’s team features eight fighters who have not competed in the UFC against Chandler’s team of eight UFC alumni.
Among those UFC alums is [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag], the lone fighter who had two previous stints with the promotion. Holobaugh went 0-4 over those stretches, but history shows a tough strength of schedule: Steven Siler, Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos, and Thiago Moises.
Now at lightweight rather than featherweight, Holobaugh devastated two opponents to get a third look from the UFC.
Each week here at MMA Junkie, Holobaugh will peel back the curtain and provide an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look and give insight into what may not have made the cut onto the episode.
Check out what Holobaugh had to say about Episode 8 below.
Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” featuring an interview with UFC’s Grant Dawson.
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,370, the guys bring in UFC lightweight Grant Dawson for a conversation. The fellas also recap the third episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31″ and talk about the latest MMA news. Tune in!
Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses the first episode of the new season of TUF featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as coaches.
Did you watch the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31” last week?
The new season of the UFC’s long-running reality series is underway, and we got our first look at [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] as coaches. This season runs from May 30 to Aug. 15, with teams of lightweights and bantamweights fighting their way to the final to earn a UFC contract.
In the first episode, the teams were set and the first fight took place, which only lasted eight seconds. Now that the season is rolling, are you in for the full ride to the end?
Is the dynamic between McGregor and Chandler enough to keep you coming back every week? Was there anything different that makes this season more interesting?
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, and Danny Segura discuss the new season of TUF along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.
UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush wonders if Michael Chandler’s tendency to entertain will cost him vs. Conor McGregor.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] wonders if [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s tendency to entertain will cost him vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) are expected to fight after they coached Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which airs Tuesdays on ESPN and ESPN+ through Aug. 15.
In five UFC appearances, Chandler has earned four bonuses – including a Knockout and Fight of the Year contender. Chandler was an NCAA Division-I wrestler at the University of Missouri, but he hasn’t shown off too much of his grappling in the octagon. If that continues against McGregor, Dariush doesn’t like his chances.
“Michael Chandler has the tools to win the fight, and he’s been more active, which is great for him,” Dariush said. “I just don’t know if he’s gonna use the tools. If he comes out and he tries to fight the way he fights the last three fights, I think he’ll lose.
“If he tries to go wild, Conor has the ability to take people out like that. But if he fights smart, he uses the wrestling, he uses the takedown, I think he can have a great fight with Conor, and I think he can definitely win the fight. I am leaning toward Conor right now, just because I do think he’s got slick striking and his counters are very good.”
McGregor vs. Chandler appears to be set for welterweight. But with McGregor’s past fight taking place at 155 pounds, Dariush is aware that beating Chandler could land “The Notorious” in the lightweight title picture, and he has mixed feelings about that.
“As far as him re-entering the lightweight division, it’s great,” Dariush said. “It’s great for our division because we get more eyes on us. What I don’t like is how slow things start to move because everybody wants to fight him, and everybody is willing to sit out and wait for him.
“And if he does win, and let’s say he wants to fight for the title, they’ll wait. They’ll push things back, and they’ll make things take forever. So I see the benefits of Conor coming back, but the negatives I think for me personally outweighs it because it just slows things down and you get such a logjam.”
Dariush plans on securing a title shot when he squares off with former champion Charles Oliveira in the UFC 289 co-main event on June 10.
Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” featuring talk around TUF 31, PFL drug tests, and more.
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.
On Episode 3,366, the guys went over the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31: McGregor vs. Chandler,” discuss Rob Wilkinson being removed from the PFL season due to a failed drug test, and much more. Tune in!
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a man missing his wife and kids, but Renato Moicano was having none of that.
In case you missed it, there was a tender moment on the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31” this week when [autotag]Nate Jennerman[/autotag] introduced viewers to his lovely family.
Jennerman, a lightweight prospect out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, was selected to Conor McGregor’s team and matched up against UFC veteran Roosevelt Roberts in the first fight of the season. But before they threw down in the octagon, the show gave us a mini-profile on Jennerman, who got emotional when talking about his wife, 3-year-old son, and 6-month-old daughter back home in Sheboygan, Wisc. He was seen crying in the “TUF” house while looking at a picture of his family, which also includes a three-legged dog.
“The hardest thing is just not having my wife and my kids here,” Jennerman said. “I just miss my family a lot. I like to be around them.”
There’s nothing wrong with a man missing his wife and kids, but UFC standout [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] saw this and, well, he was having none of it. Check out his hilarious take on Jennerman clipped from his Twitch livestream (via Twitter):
Renato Moicano shares his thoughts on TUF fighter crying on the first episode🤣
“Ah f*ck, the guy’s crying on the f*cking first episode. F*ck you, my friend. This guy gonna lose. One day without the family, and the guy already crying. He ain’t about the life. First f*cking day you crying on show on TV? Look, his dog only had three legs, bro.”
It turns out Moicano may have been on to something as Jennerman did end up losing by 8-second knockout to Roberts.
Do you think Conor McGregor has a better shot at beating Leon Edwards or Michael Chandler?
[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] gives [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] a higher chance to beat a UFC champion than he does [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag].
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) are expected to fight after they coached Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which debuts Tuesday on ESPN and ESPN+ and airs weekly until a season finale set for Aug. 15.
McGregor vs. Chandler is expected to take place at welterweight, but with a win, “The Notorious” could find himself in the lightweight title picture, which Cejudo thinks makes no sense.
“OK, so if he wins at 170, then he gets an automatic title shot at 155,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “You think that’s fair?”
But if McGregor beats Chandler and decides to stick to 170 pounds, it’s Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) who holds the title – a stylistic matchup that Cejudo thinks is easier for McGregor than Chandler. Edwards is unbeaten in his past 12 fights, most recently defeating Kamaru Usman in back-to-back title fights.
“I think Leon Edwards might be a more winnable fight for him than Michael Chandler,” Cejudo said. “Because Michael Chandler may bring in that wrestling, he may bring in that All-American wrestling. He’s an All-American wrestler from the University of Missouri, part of Ben Askren’s, so he’s been in these positions before.
“With Leon, Leon’s gonna be stubborn, try and keep it on his feet. I still think Leon could beat him, but I think if there’s one fight that he does have a better chance at, they’re both southpaws, it probably is with Leon Edwards.”
Mitch Ramirez says he experienced “such a blow” when Conor McGregor had him removed from “The Ultimate Fighter” before it began.
[autotag]Mitch Ramirez[/autotag] was on Cloud 9 when he was told, after a 10-day waiting period, that he’d made the final cut for “The Ultimate Fighter 31.” But then [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] touched down in Las Vegas, and that changed everything.
When McGregor arrived in February to coach opposite Michael Chandler, the former UFC two-division champion wasn’t alone. He brought his own fighters with him and, as a result, Ken Cross, Brandon Jenkins and Ramirez were pulled from the show before filming started in order to make room for McGregor’s handpicked guys, according to MMA manager Daniel Rubenstein.
It’s something McGregor later denied, but in an interview with Fight Fluency, Ramirez recalled being told by one of the producers that he was off the show for that reason.
“What he told me is that, ‘Conor landed today and brought two of his guys with them. He’s demanding they’re on the show. He has the prospects. Unfortunately you have the least amount of fights on your record, so you’re being replaced,'” Ramirez said. “To me, that was just such a blow, such a nut shot.”
Ramirez was stunned (“what the f*ck” were his words) and said he’d already reached out to his mom and family to let them know he wouldn’t talk to them for six weeks while he competed for a UFC contract. He asked if there was anything that could be done, but the show’s producers apologized.
Ramirez never heard from UFC president Dana White or McGregor directly about the decision. He tried not to take it personally, but it was hard.
“Here’s the thing: I get it,” Ramirez said. “I understand who Conor McGregor is. I understand the way business works. I’m smart enough to understand that it wasn’t personal, personal, but it is personal because it’s my life, dude.”
Ramirez, 30, is a perfect 7-0 as a professional, which includes knockouts in his two most recent wins for XMMA and Tuff-N-Uff. He doesn’t have a known upcoming fight.
“TUF 31” premiers Tuesday, May 30 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. The entire season will unfold with with one episode airing each Tuesday for 12 weeks.
Based on Michael Chandler’s fighting style, Urijah Faber sees Conor McGregor prevailing against him.
Based on [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s fighting style, [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] sees [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] prevailing against him.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) are expected to fight after coaching Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which debuts May 30 on ESPN and ESPN+. Episodes will air Tuesdays with a season finale set for Aug. 15.
Coming from a wrestling background himself, Faber says Chandler’s mat skills should play a factor. But when he plays the fight out in his head, Faber sees McGregor having success on the feet.
“Traditionally in the past – you know, old-school MMA – I would have said the high-level wrestler’s always going to win,” Faber told ESPN. “But Conor, I feel, has closed those gaps a lot. I think Chandler takes a lot of big risks and likes to fight wild and aggressive, and I’ve seen many times where Conor’s power is just too much and his precision’s too much, and I think it’s going to be, in a five-round fight, leaning toward McGregor.”
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Faber has first-hand experience of what it’s like to be around McGregor for eight weeks. He coached against him on Season 22 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Although the pair wasn’t booked to fight after the filming of the show, Faber did a good job of not allowing McGregor to get under his skin.
“Chandler and I are pretty different guys, and they’re going to have a much different relationship than Conor and I,” Faber said. “I would just say the same advice I’d give anybody: Be yourself and stand your ground and things will play out the way they do.
“I think they’re going to be heated. They are actually fighting and they’re going to have a lot of build up. When I spoke to Conor about this situation, he said this season is different because he was coming off of his first big payday and his first world championship (on Season 22). This time, he’s focused on making this his camp, so I think he’s going to be a little more on edge, to be honest.”
Speaking from experience, Eddie Alvarez says Michael Chandler will be in trouble if he doesn’t go for takedowns and wear out Conor McGregor.
[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] advises [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] to use his wrestling from the get-go against [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].
McGregor and Chandler coached on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which debuts May 30 on ESPN and ESPN+. Episodes will air Tuesdays with a season finale set for Aug. 15. The pair are expected to fight later this year, with McGregor teasing a fight announcement soon.
Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), a former Bellator champion, has thrilled fans in his five UFC bouts with both Knockout and Fight of the Year contenders. But against a sharp and technical striker such as McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), Alvarez said throwing caution to the wind will be his downfall if he doesn’t mix things up.
“Mike Chandler is a hell of an athlete,” Alvarez told ESPN. “I just think stylistically, the way he’s been fighting and the strategy he’s been going about fighting isn’t the way to get it done against Conor McGregor. And I would implore him if I was his coach to change his style, to go for single legs, to go for shots, and force Conor to wrestle early.
“You have to force him to wrestle early so he don’t have the powerful tools that he’s able to take advantage of (against) all these other guys – quick feet, good range, great striking. You take that away when you wrestle him early. Wrestle him early enough and tire his shoulders down, tire his legs down, slow him down, and he’s half the striker that he can be when he’s fully energized.”
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Alvarez experienced first hand what McGregor is like when he’s on point with his striking as he lost his lightweight title to him by lopsided TKO in 2016. However, Alvarez said that was when McGregor was hungry and active. He doesn’t expect him to be the exact same version that beat him when he returns for the first time since in more than two years.
“Hell of a fight and a lot of questions would be answered with Conor’s time off,” Alvarez said. “Conor, of course, is not going to be the same Conor that he was back during his Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, myself when he was fighting them, you know. He was quite active.
“He was fighting three and four times a year. So we wouldn’t expect the same exact guy who was excited about winning world titles, but will we see that resurgence of energy, enjoyment and excitement and gratitude toward the game of MMA? And I feel like we will.”
