Dana White honors promise to "take care" of The Ultimate Fighter 31 castoffs, adds Gilbert Burns’ teammate to UFC 285 card
There has been plenty of controversy surrounding season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter and its roster. Conor McGregor has been accused of getting his teammates on the show at the expense of other prospective contestants, but UFC President Dana White has vowed to "take care" of those who miss out:
"Conor's going to get some things that he wants. Nobody lost an opportunity here. If there were guys that were booked to do that, we'll do something with them. It's not just like, 'Hey, see you later pal, good luck to you, have a good life.' We'll figure it out. We'll take care of these guys."
Conor McGregor has previously been accused of having Loik Radzhabov removed from the roster. However, the promotional frontman has now attempted to rectify the situation. According to Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports, the former PFL fighter will make his promotional debut at UFC 285:
"Per Igor Lazorin, Loik Radzhabov is stepping in to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285 this Saturday. After Aliev fought yesterday, it will be back-to-back weeks with a Tajik fighter on a UFC card. Radzhabov had originally been expected to be competing on the upcoming TUF season."
Per Igor Lazorin, Loik Radzhabov is stepping in to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285 this Saturday.
After Aliev fought yesterday, it will be back-to-back weeks with a Tajik fighter on a UFC card.
Radzhabov had originally been expected to be competing on the upcoming TUF season.
While Radzhabov had initially appeared to get the bad end of the stick, it turns out that he will receive a better opportunity now. Instead of having to appear on The Ultimate Fighter and earn his UFC contract through the show, he is now on the UFC roster and will make his debut on a highly anticipated pay-per-view card.
It is still unclear as to what plans the UFC has for the other fighters that were removed from season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Watch Dana White's comments on the accusations surrounding TUF 31 below:
"Conor's going to get some things that he wants": Dana White addresses claims TUF 31 fighters were removed to make way for McGregor's personal choices.
Full interview: bit.ly/3Z2k4UO https://t.co/LzP4k3oM3T
Gilbert Burns previously showed support for fighter removed from The Ultimate Fighter 31 roster
Gilbert Burns and Loik Radzhabov are teammates at Kill Cliff Fight Club. The No.5-ranked welterweight previously took to Twitter to voice his support for his teammate, stating:
"This guy is my teammate! Loik Radzhabov 2x PFL finalist 155! Work so hard and was ready to finally get his shot in the UFC on TUF was in Vegas everything good to go! This freaking Conor bring his own guys and they kick him out! 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ Not Fear!"
Burns is yet to address the situation following the news that it has been rectified by Dana White and the UFC.
Check out Gilbert Burns' tweet below:
This guy is my teammate!
Loik Radzhabov 2x PFL finalist 155! Work so hard and was ready to finally get his shot in the UFC on TUF was in Vegas everything good to go! This freaking Conor bring his own guys and they kick him out! 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️ Not Fear! https://t.co/qQ0JXspn75