Conor McGregor fails to turn up for teammate as he wins The Ultimate Fighter
Conor McGregor was a no-show for teammate Brad Katona's final fight on The Ultimate Fighter at UFC 292 tonight in Boston's TD Garden as the Canadian became the show's first two-time champion.
The Irishman suffered a torrid season that saw all but one of his original eight fighters defeated in the opening round in an unprecedented bad run. But he ended with a final berth through a mid-season switch-up by TUF 27 winner Katona, who trains with McGregor at SBG Ireland's Dublin HQ.
Fellow coach Michael Chandler showed up in fine fettle, meeting with his trio of Cody Gibson, Kurt Holobaugh and Austin Hubbard before the event and taking media questions. Meanwhile, the Irishman was a no-show as his seeming indifference towards the tournament was on display once again.
Flanked by coaches John Kavanagh and Dave Roche, Katona started strong, utilising his extensive boxing background to keep Gibson at bay as he worked the distance well and likely took the first round, before an hellacious second that saw both land big clean shots, with the Canadian slightly outlanding in the early exchanges.
With just under a minute left in the second Katona landed a thudding right hand that rocked Gibson and sent the pair into an exciting third and final round. The American had been critical of his rival's ability to bring a fight after the pair developed an intense rivalry throughout the show, but was forced to eat those words in the form of big punches as Katona stayed on his feet all night.
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Meanwhile, McGregor was training in Cannes with his team as he prepares for a December comeback against rival coach Chandler. After posting a video of he and his team running the streets, he sharied a photo of the waterside 100 Fois Bon club in France hours before the fight, with no more than a brief story post with the message "Lets F***ing Go" acknowledging the bout.
Speaking on Twitter after the fight, McGregor wrote: "And just like that, Team McGregor and SBG Ireland wins The Ultimate Fighter! Excellent performance Brad Katona, now the Champ Champ of The Ultimate Fighter! Incredible! Team and gym full of double champions. #thanksforthecheese #sbg #ufc #champchamp."
"If at the end of this I had no guys fighting I probably would have not shown up either," Chandler told Mirror Fighting in a goading message. "I probably would have tucked my tail between my legs and not come because this was never about me. It was Team McGregor vs Team Chandler, my name was on the jersey but it was never about me.
Brad Katona won The Ultimate Fighter, without coach Conor McGregor in the building (Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)What did you make of Conor McGregor's coaching this season on The Ultimate Fighter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"It was always about these guys, so because I have guys here, I'm here. If I didn't have guys here that would have been me showing up, asking the whole world for attention and going 'hey, remember that reality show I did on ESPN for 12 weeks?' That's not why I'm here, I've got three guys here and I do think Cody Gibson beats Brad Katona.
"I do think both of my guys in the lightweight final will get a contract; one of them because they get a guaranteed contract for winning and another because they gave a great showing because of hopefully what I instilled in them over the five weeks I spent in Vegas.
"Conor does what Conor wants to do. I think I'm a different breed, not just from Conor but from every person on this roster and a lot of people in the entire world. I show up whenever I sign my name on a dotted line and I do it to the best of my abilities so that's why I was with Kurt, Austin and Cody earlier today, giving them a hug telling them I love them.
"Tonight was part of the job. That doesn't mean that he's doing anything wrong by not showing up, obviously I would love for him to be here for numerous reasons, not least of which to say hi to him and see what's up, see how life is and how training's going but ultimately Conor does what Conor wants to do but I'm here and if he shows up he does."
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