Conor McGregor's coaching praised despite embarrassing TUF record
Conor McGregor's coaching on The Ultimate Fighter has been defended by Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson despite the Irishman losing all but one of his opening round matchups.
The legendary two-weight world champion narrowly avoided an unprecedented first round sweep when after seven consecutive losses his charge Rico DiSciullo won his sole bout for the opening of the tournament. Thompson was brought in to help McGregor's team in the early stages, and it appeared the pair had a close relationship while working together.
And the two-time welterweight world title challenger has argued McGregor did a good job with his team, despite the results going in favour of Chandler for the most part. The pair had been asked to choose between prospects and veterans, the latter of whom had considerably more experience than the first set.
“It was awesome, we had a great time,” Thompson told talkSPORT of his brief stint in Las Vegas for the show. “They were a team. MMA is a very selfish sport. When you go to the gym, everybody is about themselves and what they can get. When I stepped in there, the camaraderie of the team was what I was impressed with."
McGregor was accused by viewers of not showing enough interest in his team, with many noting that he didn't appear to show up for morning sessions and wasn't present at weigh-ins. But Thompson disagrees, feeling that he showed clear care for all of his fighters in the tournament.
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“[It was] not only that but how caring Conor was with his team," he continued. "As successful as that guy is, I could see how much he cared about his guys when they won and when they lost. That’s what I was impressed with the most. When he was training these guys, he was training them as if they’d been with him for years.
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“Me being a teacher here at the [Upstate Karate] gym, it’s a passion of mine, and seeing that passion in Conor was inspirational for me. Students, they don’t care how much you know, they all want to know how much you care. That was Conor all day, he cared about his team, and he made sure they were on point.”
Thompson and McGregor are both still working out their next career moves as they look to return to the octagon. The American was due to fight at UFC 291 earlier this summer but when his opponent missed weight he opted not to compete against a new fighter on a different date, or to take the bout at a severe disadvantage.
Meanwhile, McGregor is pushing for a December comeback against Chandler to finish out the season after two years out with a broken leg. He has headed to Cannes for an impromptu fight camp with newly-signed UFC fighter Kiefer Crosbie, Bellator prospect Ciaran Clarke and TUF coach Cian Cowley among other major names as he looks to rekindle his comeback fight.
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