Did Conor McGregor actually replace TUF 31 contestants with his own fighters? Here’s what you need to know 

UFC superstar Conor McGregor finds himself in yet another controversy. As per a tweet by MMA manager Daniel Rubenstein, 'The Notorious' has allegedly replaced some of 'The Ultimate Fighter' (TUF) 31 contestants with his own fighters.

Rubenstein's post read:

"Ken Cross, Mitch Ramirez, and Brandon Jenkins all got pulled off to make room for 3 of Conor's guys to be on the show."

Since then, various UFC superstars have chimed in, pinning the blame on the Irishman. In a tweet, Chris Curtis opined that Conor McGregor "most definitely" did replace the fighters for his own benefit.

UFC bantamweight contender Adrian Yanez also revealed that one of his training partners had been replaced. Adding to the suspicion of foul play, former UFC fighter Brandon Jenkins also confirmed that he was in fact kicked off the show by McGregor.

Amid the accusations, the Irishman claimed his innocence to 'The Action Man' in a now-deleted tweet, saying that he only knows one contestant on the show:

"@Actionman213 not true. I only know 1 guy on this show and he put himself forward for it. And he is now, after today, set to fight the no.1 seed! I didn't ask nor request anything! And I certainly didn't have people removed. I'm just tryna get back in the mix myself so f**k off."

Image courtesy @ftblcozza on Twitter

However, the middleweight contender doesn't seem to buy the former two-division champion's excuse.

McGregor is currently coaching TUF 31 opposite Michael Chandler. This is the second time the Irishman has coached on the show.

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Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh claims his fighter is more motivated than ever

It seems that neither immense riches nor monumental achievements have quelled the competitive fire within Conor McGregor. The Irishman's head coach, John Kavanagh, believes that he has never seen 'The Notorious' as "pumped" as he is right now.

During a recent interview on The Sheehan Show, Kavanagh claimed that McGregor is still obsessed with the sport of MMA:

"There is a real excitement in him... I'll be honest, I was... I wouldn't say worry for me but 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."

He added:

"I've zero concerns about [his] motivation, the motivation is there to show everybody that this is his show, that this is his game... He's still obsessed with the sport. I haven't seen that interest wane at all."

Catch John Kavanagh's comments on Conor McGregor below: