Dana White lifts lid on Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler rivalry after incident between pair

The UFC president said ‘a lot of s***’ has gone down between the fighters on the set of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

Alex Pattle
Combat Sports Correspondent
Monday 06 March 2023 04:38 EST
Comments
Jon Jones reacts after becoming UFC heavyweight champion with submission win over Ciryl Gane

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Dana White has said ‘a lot of s***’ has gone down between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler on the set of The Ultimate Fighter, with the UFC president adding: ‘They do not like each other now.’

McGregor and Chandler are currently filming the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television show on which the pair are coaching opposing teams of athletes. McGregor and Chandler will then fight one another later this year, with a date and location yet to be confirmed.

“Chandler and Conor were very respectful to each other, and then some things started escalating that you’ll see on the show,” White said after UFC 285 on Saturday (4 March).

“They do not like each other now. A lot of s*** went down on Friday. I don’t look at stuff that’s good for the show or things like that; whatever happens, happens.

“The stuff that just happened shouldn’t have happened, and I’m getting old – I would have been in there sooner back in the day, but [it wasn’t] good.”

Irishman McGregor said during the first week of filming for The Ultimate Fighter: “I like Michael, I had a good little buzz with him [...] I have no issues with him at all. I think he’s a good fighter. I think I’m just gonna slice through him.”

Meanwhile, American Chandler said during the first week of filming that he is happy for McGregor to have “the illusion of dominance”.

Thirty-four-year-old McGregor – a former dual-weight UFC champion – and Chandler, 36, are both 1-3 in their last four fights.

McGregor has not fought since suffering a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, while Chandler’s last result was a submission loss to Poirier in November.

Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in