Filming of the 31st season of “The Ultimate Fighter” has just begun, and drama surrounding former two-division champion Conor McGregor is already making headlines.
McGregor, who arrived in Las Vegas Thursday to coach UFC hopefuls opposite former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler, allegedly removed contestants from the show to make room for fighters he knows, according to MMA manager Daniel Rubenstein.
“Ken Cross, Mitch Ramirez, and Brandon Jenkins all got pulled off to make room for 3 of Conor’s guy to be on the show,” Rubenstein wrote in a tweet Friday.
Las Vegas-based UFC middleweight contender Chris Curtis supported Rubenstein’s statement on Twitter. “Most definitely true,” Curtis wrote. “What a f*cking asshole.”
McGregor responded to Curtis on the social media platform, denying allegations of adjusting the contestant pool in a since-deleted tweet:
“@Actionman513 not true. I only know 1 guy on this show and he put himself forward for it. And he is now, after today, set to fight the No. 1 seed! I didn’t ask nor request nothing! And I certainly didn’t have people removed. I’m just tryna get back in the mix myself so f*ck off.”
“TUF 31” features men’s bantamweights and lightweights looking to secure a UFC contract. The complete final lineup of contestants has yet to be revealed.
After the season finale, coaches McGregor and Chandler will face each other inside the octagon, however, no details about their fight have been finalized.
Conor McGregor denies adding his own fighters to ‘TUF 31’ contestant pool