"2x TUF winner here" - Conor McGregor's teammate from SBG Ireland switches over to his team at TUF 31, fans react

Conor McGregor finally tasted success in the previous episode of the ongoing season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 31. Chandler has led his team to win seven out of eight fights, leaving McGregor's coaching stint with an underwhelming outcome.

In episode eight of TUF, Conor McGregor avoided embarrassment and a clean sweep, thanks to Rico DiSciullio's stunning KO victory over Hunter Azure. Ahead of the DiSciullio vs. Azure bout, a victory for Chandler's team would have marked the first instance of a whitewash in the history of TUF. Additionally, this result would have left McGregor devoid of any fighters to mentor for the rest of the season.

La réaction de Conor quand un de ses combattants du TUF gagne ENFIN un combat 😂😂pic.twitter.com/tCxUSk5t4R

Expressing evident concern regarding the potential clean sweep and his future as a coach on TUF, the Irishman raised the question of what would occur if he does not have a fighter in the semifinals. However, these concerns were laid to rest with DiSciullio's emphatic victory.

The stage is now set for the highly anticipated semi-finals of the ongoing TUF season. UFC recently treated fans to a sneak peek of the upcoming episode and the matchups for the semi-finals. In an unexpected twist, the show producers have decided to level the playing field by drafting three of Chandler's team members to join McGregor's team for the semi-finals.

The decision, however, faced resistance from some fighters who openly declared their reluctance to switch teams and compete under McGregor's mentorship due to their lack of admiration for the Irishman.

Meanwhile, Brad Katona, who trains in Ireland with Conor McGregor's team at Straight Blast Gym, was delighted by the shuffle. Katona stated:

"Switching teams for some could be a difficult proposition. For myself, my best position to succeed is to be reunited with my coach, John Kavanagh. My coach back in Ireland, and my nutritionist, Tristan."

Several fans took to Twitter to react to Katona's switch to Conor McGregor's team. Katona was the featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 27. One fan wrote:

"Hardly surprising, makes a lot of sense. Reckon Katona becomes a 2x TUF winner here. #TUF31"

Another fan wrote:

"Based on comments I’ve seen from people related to Brad Katona, I’m fairly sure I know who wins next week’s fight."

Yet another fan wrote:

"The whole time that they were distancing Brad Katona from Chandler's team making it seem like they don't like him is because it is all a setup because Brad will switch to McGregor's team since Mcgregor lost too much."

Check out some of the reactions to the episode teaser below:

[via: @UltimateFighter on Twitter and Instagram]

Conor McGregor welcomes Brad Katona to his team, Islam Makhachev visits Timur Valiev's training session: A preview of next episode of TUF

On the next episode of TUF, the season 27 winner of the American reality television series, Brad Katona switched over to Conor McGregor's team.

The Irishman was thrilled to welcome Katona to team McGregor. He could be heard saying:

"Welcome to team McGregor, it's great to have you back."

Meanwhile, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will pay a surprise visit to Timur Valiev's training session as he prepares to face Katona in the TUF 31 semi-finals. Makhachev passionately advocates for Valiev's UFC spot, adding intrigue to the upcoming bout. Interestingly, in March 2023, Conor McGregor hinted at the bout's outcome during a Twitter exchange with Ali Abdelaziz.