Conor McGregor's "red panty night" will have Michael Chandler doing "what he's told," jokes Coach Kavanagh
Conor McGregor's return to the octagon will take place against Michael Chandler. The pair will face off as opposing coaches on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter before their bout. John Kavanagh, who coaches the former double champ, recently revealed why he believes the No.5-ranked lightweight has agreed to their demands.
McGREGOR vs CHANDLER IS CONFIRMED!!
@TheNotoriousMMA and @MikeChandlerMMA will officially coach the next season of #TUF31! https://t.co/effjf0Rg2M
Speaking to Oscar Willis of TheMacLife, the mixed martial arts coach stated:
"Chandler's been pretty vocal about it for the last couple of years. He's a professional fighter and it's the red panty night. There's no secret about that so of course he wants that - to fight the biggest and most iconic star in your sport."
John Kavanagh added:
"If you're a basketball player, they [want to] go one-on-one with Michael Jordan. If you're an MMA fighter, to have that build up and share the octagon with the biggest name in the sport for the biggest payday of your career, yeah, guess what? He'll do what he's told and gladly and smile doing it."
Watch John Kavanagh's comments below (starting at the 6:13 mark):
Conor McGregor's massive stardom will almost certainly ensure Michael Chandler receives the biggest payday of his career. 'The Notorious' has headlined six of the biggest-selling pay-per-view cards in UFC history.
Conor McGregor's return: Michael Chandler weighs in on accepting his opponent's demands
Michael Chandler has had no issue accepting Conor McGregor's demands ahead of their eventual clash. Speaking to Oscar Willis of TheMacLife, the No.5-ranked lightweight revealed that he is driven by his competitive nature:
"This is the fight that I want, it's a fight that he wants, it's a fight that I think the world wants so any venue, any weight class, whenever... Obviously, people could talk about the red panty night and they talk about, 'he'll do whatever, he's thirsty'. It's like, no, I want battle grounds of epic proportions. The lights don't get any brighter and the stage does not get any bigger than fighting Conor McGregor."
Check out Michael Chandler's full comments below (starting at the 8:50 mark):
While Chandler and McGregor will coach season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, not much has been announced regarding their bout. 'Iron' shared that he is not concerned with the weight class. However, he added that he expects the bout to take place at welterweight. He did note that he is hopeful the fight can take place at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders.