Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler give statements after first day of TUF shooting

Fans of Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler have exciting times ahead of them. The two fighters recently concluded their first day of filming the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in Las Vegas and took to social media to share their thoughts.

Earlier this month, Dana White announced that the Irishman and the American will go up against each other as coaches on the next installment of the UFC's popular reality show, following which McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the UFC octagon against Chandler. The pair will coach a team of men’s bantamweights and lightweights towards a potential UFC contract.

As the show begins filming, Conor McGregor recently reacted to a video of him shadowboxing a wall of framed former coach jerseys by optimistically replying to a fan on Twitter. He wrote:

"It's like it's too good to be true hahaha."

Similarly, Michael Chandler posted a tweet about wrapping up the first day of filming with a word of confidence in his team:

Day one of #tuf31 in the books…couldn’t have gone better. #teamchandler is right where we need to be.

TUF 31 will be McGregor's second stint as a coach on the show, having previously coached opposite Urijah Faber in 2015. The show is slated to have a unique veterans vs. prospects theme.

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Beneil Dariush on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler

Beneil Dariush recently shared his prediction for the highly anticipated barnstorming fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler after the finale of their TUF season. The veteran lightweight believes that 'Iron' is the best opponent 'The Notorious' could have asked for.

McGregor has not competed in almost two years since suffering a nasty leg fracture in his ill-fated trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. The Irishman has gone 3-2 in his last five outings, last tasting victory against Donald Cerrone in 2020. The former Bellator champion has the same record in his last five bouts, last losing to Dustin Poirier via fifth-round submission at UFC 281.

Nevertheless, Beneil Dariush is of the opinion that this is the perfect opportunity for Conor McGregor to get back in the win column. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, the No.4-ranked lightweight stated why he thought so:

"Chandler is the easiest fight for Conor McGregor to win. I'm not saying he can't win against the other guys, but out of everybody, Chandler is the easiest fight. Mike doesn't use his skillset properly. Energy management, zero with Chandler, striking defence, zero with Chandler..."

Watch the full interview below: