‘That fucking Conor!’ Gilbert Burns blasts McGregor over TUF cuts

Did Conor McGregor clean up in The Ultimate Fighter to make room for his own guys? It’s an accusation that “The Notorious” has denied, but is being made again – this time by welterweight contender Gilbert Burns.

Burns took to Twitter on Saturday to sting McGregor over the withdrawal of ‘Durhinho’ teammate Loik Radzhabov.

“This guy is my teammate!” Gilbert wrote. “Loik Radzhabov 2x PFL 155 finalist! Working so hard and was ready to finally get his shot at UFC on TUF Vegas was all good to go! Fucking Conor brought his own guys and they saw him! Not afraid [Fair]!”

“Not [fair] with Loik! he wrote in a second tweet. “Now more than ever F— this guy.”

Other fighters who were brought to Las Vegas only to find out they wouldn’t actually be on The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler include Kenny Cross, Mitch Ramirez, Anthony Burchick and Brandon Jenkins. Even Sean O’Malley’s former opponent Kris Moutinho wasn’t known enough to survive a brutal last-minute purge.

For his part, Conor McGregor denied having anything to do with the cuts.

“I only know one guy on this show and he put himself forward,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “And he is now, after today, ready to fight the No. 1 seed! I didn’t ask or ask for anything! And I certainly didn’t have people taken away. I’m just trying to get back into the mix myself, so fuck it.

McGregor offered a much more tongue-in-cheek response to the drama on Instagram, sharing a quote from “The Simpsons” where Homer makes heavy cuts to the football team to make room for his son Bart.

“Good practice, team!” McGregor wrote. “Okay, it’s time for the easiest part of any coach’s job… the cuts. Now, even though I couldn’t cut everyone I wanted to, I did cut a lot of you. Wendell is cut. Rudy is cut. Janey, you’re gone. Stephen, I love your hustle. That’s why it was so hard to cut you. Congratulations! The rest of you are part of the team! Except you, you and you.

While cutting fighters to make room for his own picks certainly sounds like something Conor McGregor would do, he’s also not one to deny it or apologize if that were the case. So it’s entirely possible that it was the UFC that overbooked The Ultimate Fighter 31, and now “The Notorious” is being blamed for something he has nothing to do with.

It’s still a shame to read some of the names that were cut off. As Gilbert Burns pointed out, Loik Radzhabov is a stallion. Kenny Cross could have won the whole show. And who wouldn’t want to see Kris Moutinho get a redemption arc?

The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler debuts on ESPN and ESPN+ on Tuesday, May 30. A fight between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor is expected to take place in the fall of 2023.