Conor McGregor left speechless as Ultimate Fighter contestant KOs his fighter with epic flying knee
Conor McGregor was lost for words when his disastrous start to The Ultimate Fighter's latest season continued.
The long-running MMA reality TV show returned last week and Michael Chandler’s team raced into an early lead when UFC veteran Roosevelt Roberts knocked out Nate Jennerman in nine seconds.
McGregor was hoping Mando Gutierrez, who gave him a haircut before the big fight, could get them back on track but he ended up eating a flying knee from Cody Gibson in the first round.
The 35-year-old followed up with ground strikes to finish the fight and leave the cowboy hat-wearing UFC legend in a state of shock.
UFC president Dana White was equally stunned by the epic KO, and he didn’t start speaking until a blood-soaked Gutierrez sat up to show the damage a knee to the face can cause.
“Oh wow! Look at his f***ing face,” he said.
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After his initially muted response to a second consecutive first-round KO loss, McGregor went backstage and spoke about what went wrong for his fighter.
"It was a tough fight, that was," he admitted.
"Cody had plenty of experience inside the octagon throughout the years and then the flying knee was a good shot. Mando's a great little fighter, though.
“I would have liked him to stand his ground a bit more. He was on the float a bit too much for my liking and we were working on cutting the octagon in camp.
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“It was a tough one, but Mando is a great little goer and I look forward to seeing his second chance."
McGregor’s rival raved about his fighter's performance and coachability.
"Cody went out there and passed the test with flying colours. He listened to our corner, he was stingy and diligent in getting Mando up against the cage,” Chandler said.
“Him landing crisp, precise strikes started to increase the self-doubt in Mando right away, take away that ring generalship, and then finishing with a beautiful flying knee where you couldn't ask for any better."
TUF 31 is set to run until mid-August, so McGregor’s got plenty of time to get his team back on track, but he will already be looking ahead to his fight with Chandler.
The former dual-weight champion hasn’t fought since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021 and it’s currently unclear exactly when, where or at what weight he’ll return.
White recently provided a worrying update suggesting he is struggling to tie down McGregor who is busy cruising around the Mediterranean Sea with his family.
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