CONOR McGREGOR is back as a coach for the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter and used it as a chance to channel his inner Homer Simpson.
The Notorious is in Las Vegas for the next eight weeks as MMA’s answer to The X Factor will be filmed with him and Michael Chandler coaching rival squads of fighters.
@TheNotoriousMMAHe shared this pic in discussion with his team[/caption]
HandoutHomer Simpson ©1999 Fox TV/Sky One[/caption]
As is tradition, the two coaches will then meet in the octagon although a date for that blockbuster match-up has not been set yet.
For now though McGregor looks to be enjoying reprising his coaching role – having memorably shared the screen with Urijah Faber in a previous season of the long-running reality show in 2015.
He shared a behind the scenes pic with John Kavanagh as they deliberated over which of the unknown fighters they’d choose to be in their final roster.
He captioned it with Homer Simpson’s notoriously harsh opening speech to Springfield’s pee-wee football team after taking over from a suddenly combustible Ned Flanders.
He wrote: “Good practice, team! Ok it’s time for the easiest part of any coach’s job.. the cuts.
“Now, while I wasn’t able to cut everyone I wanted to, I have cut a lot of you.
“Wendell is cut. Rudy is cut. Janey, you’re gone. Stephen, I like your hustle…That’s why it was so hard to cut you.
“Congratulations! The rest of you made the team! Except you, you and you.
“The Ultimate Fighter, Las Vegas. 2023.”
MYSTERY REMAINS
The show will first air on May 30.
But the main hold-up in a fight date for McGregor vs Chandler similarly being released is that the Dubliner still hasn’t re-entered the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s drug testing pool.
He must do that at least six months before competing again.
At this moment in time, September is the earliest the showdown will take place.
Former two-division champion McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
He previously said of his return: “I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m looking forward to it. I feel good. I feel energetic. I feel ready.
“You know, I’m throwing up my high kicks faster than I’m throwing out my jab.
“So I’m very excited to get back.”