Conor McGregor is well known for his online verbal sparring with fellow fighters. He has recently engaged in a war of words with welterweight contender Gilbert Burns on social media. This rivalry stems from McGregor’s coaching role on The Ultimate Fighter 31. The Notorious coached against Michael Chandler, a teammate of Burns.

The Irishman had demanded that two of his gym-mates join the show’s cast. A move that led to Burns’s teammate, Loik Radhzhabov, missing the opportunity. This led to evident tension between the two fighters, which played out on social media. Interestingly, another former McGregor opponent found amusement in this exchange!

Conor McGregor fires at Gilbert Burns on social media prompting a reaction from Nate Diaz

McGregor, the former lightweight and featherweight champion in the UFC, has been sidelined since a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021. Due to a fractured left tibia and fibula. The injury required major surgery and has kept him sidelined since.

On the other hand, Burns, a one-time welterweight title contender, and former lightweight title hopeful, has not scheduled his return. Ever since he suffered a shoulder injury during a unanimous decision loss to Belal Muhammad in May.

The social media exchange began when Burns shared a photo of McGregor at featherweight, along with a photoshopped image of McGregor emphasizing his size. McGregor promptly responded with a picture of Burns, commenting on his weight.

Burns replied with a now-deleted tweet, stating, “I know you would never fight me, and it’s all good, but you keep running your mouth; come spar with me @thenotoriousMMA.”

During this exchange, Stockton’s Nate Diaz, another UFC fighter, was also seen in the comments, expressing his amusement with a pair of laughing emojis. With recent reports of the USADA and the UFC parting ways, Conor McGregor’s UFC return appears imminent.

Burns doesn’t believe McGregor will make an impact at welterweight

If he returns, McGregor will compete at welterweight for the fourth time in his UFC career. Following previous wins against Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz in the division. Although he mostly fought at lightweight or featherweight, McGregor expressed his desire to compete for the welterweight title if he defeated Chandler.

In an interview with Damon Martin of MMAFighting, Burns voiced his thoughts on the situation. He believes McGregor’s only impact at 170 pounds is making the champion wealthier. He stated, “The only thing he can do at 170 is make whoever’s the champion rich. I hope it’s me, but if it’s Leon, if it’s Colby, whoever it is, you’re going to get a lot of money, but I don’t think it’s going to be a hard fight.”

Burns doesn’t foresee a difficult fight for McGregor’s opponent. Regarding McGregor’s fight with Chandler, Burns admits it’s a toss-up between two fighters with remarkable finishing power. He supports Chandler but recognizes the danger posed by McGregor, he admitted in the interview.

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To summarize, the social media feud between Conor McGregor and Gilbert Burns stems from their history on The Ultimate Fighter 31. While McGregor eyes a return to the UFC, Burns remains hopeful about becoming welterweight champion. Regardless, the fight between McGregor and Chandler is anticipated to be full of fireworks due to their striking abilities!

Do you think Conor McGregor will be able to capture the welterweight title? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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