01 February 2023 , 19:53
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Fans are convinced that Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh has confirmed the Irishman will coach on The Ultimate Fighter this year.
McGregor is expected to return to the UFC this year having not fought since breaking his leg in defeat by Dustin Poirier in July 2021. Talks of his return were bolstered when McGregor recently posted a picture of himself coaching on UFC reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter six years ago, confirming that he was recently offered the same gig for this year's season of the reality series.
The former two-weight champion has been linked with a whole host of potential opponents for his return outing including Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal. It's expected that McGregor will fight the opponent who coaches the opposing team on The Ultimate Fighter if he does follow through with his second stint on the TV series and judging by Kavanagh's recent tweet, all signs point towards that.
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Kavanagh tweeted a YouTube video titled: "The Notorious meets The Ultimate Fighter | Conor McGregor's Best TUF moments". One fan replied to his tweet: "Conor’s coaching. Let’s go!" Another wrote: "Is this the sneaky confirmation that Conor is doing The Ultimate Fighter?" A fourth replied: "So it’s true coach? When does Filming start?" before a final user added: "Confirming Conor McGregor as next The Ultimate Fighter coach?
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McGregor's UFC rival Tony Ferguson claims he was approached by the organisation to coach against McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter, stating: "I’ve been asked to coach on TUF against old fathead, or anyone of my choosing if that cake-eating son of a b**** wouldn’t show [McGregor]. What a vagina. Always ready any time, anywhere. I choose you Mcknacker. See you soon champ. CSO."
Conor McGregor coached against Urijah Faber on The Ultmate Fighter in 2015 (GETTY)Ferguson and McGregor have been butting heads for years and the rivals were once managed by the same company, Paradigm Sports. Ferguson claimed he was "f***ed over" by the label and McGregor said his rival only had himself to blame for the fall-out, writing: "How many bridges do you burn before you look yourself in the mirror and say 'Maybe it's me that's the issue'. God bless ya pal, I'll say a prayer."
McGregor will be unable to make his fighting return without submitting at least six months of drug tests, a process that he is yet to start after dropping out of the UFC's drug-testing pool following his leg break. That means the earliest McGregor's comeback fight can take place is the beginning of August.