Conor McGregor's coach has "zero concerns" about 'The Notorious' motivation

Conor McGregor will enter the UFC octagon after a two-year-long layoff due to injury. McGregor will face off against Michael Chandler in the finale of the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, as confirmed by Dana White.

McGregor and Chandler will coach opposing teams in The Ultimate Fighter season 31 in what will be McGregor's second appearance as a coach. He first appeared in season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter and was pitted against Urijah Faber.

Despite the lengthy hiatus, 'The Notorious' remains motivated to get back in action, according to his long-time coach John Kavanagh. Kavanagh spoke about McGregor's excitement in an interview with Sherdog.com's Sean Sheehan:

“Yeah, he’s never stopped training. He’s in phenomenal shape and there’s a real excitement in him, there’s a real buzz around him. And I’ll be honest, that was part of, I won’t say worry for me but you know what will be the level of motivation when you’ve achieved the titles you’ve achieved, the money etc. But man, I’ve never seen him as pumped as I’ve seen him recently. I’m just really excited. He’s excited to be back."

Kavanagh also dismissed any concerns about Conor McGregor's motivation.

"I think it’s great for Irish MMA in general. I think it’s probably fair to say it's great for MMA in general to have him back this year. Always adds a little bit of extra buzz to the scene. But yea, I have zero concerns about the motivation. The motivation is there to show everybody that this is his world, this is his game. He absolutely loves [it]. He’s still obsessed about the sport. I haven’t seen that interest wane at all.”

Check out John Kavanagh's full interview with Sherdog.com on YouTube:

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Michael Chandler predicts his fight against Conor McGregor will 'do big numbers'

Conor McGregor's upcoming opponent and rival coach in The Ultimate Fighter season 31, Michael Chandler, is pumped for the fight too.

Chandler has endured a difficult stretch of three losses in his four fights and will look to redeem himself against Conor McGregor in a blockbuster event that will have the world's attention.

Chandler also voiced his belief in his own appeal to the fans in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. He said:

“It’s hard for me to toot my own horn, but I think what I’ve created is a level of intrigue and mystique that when I show up on fight night and that cage door closes, all hell breaks loose and my foot is on the gas. I haven’t seen a brake pedal at all since I signed with the organization. Honestly, since I started fighting. It’s just continued to build and build and build. So you look at why this fight got made, Conor knows it’s going to do big numbers.”

Check out Michael Chandler's full interview on YouTube: