(A satisfied coach Michael Chandler praises his fighter, Austin Hubbard after a unanimous decision victory over Aaron McKenzie on episode 3 of the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter. Chandler has built a strong connection with his fighters via his personable, relatable, and motivational coaching style. Photograph credit to ESPN)
By: Kevin Thomas
TUCSON, Ariz -- Team McGregor still searching for their first victory of season 31 as Team Chandler's Austin Hubbard battered a bloody McGregor lightweight en route to victory in the season's third episode.
Episode 3 of The Ultimate Fighter featured a bout between two former LFA champions. Aaron Mckenzie of Team McGregor and Austin Hubbard of Team Chandler. The two lightweights went to this season's first decision result as Hubbard earned a unanimous decision victory over McKenzie.
Hubbard showed that he was the more well-rounded and vicious fighter in the 10 minutes that the two shared the cage. McKenzie was able to land some good shots and muster up his own offense but was unable to get and keep Hubbard on the mat. Hubbard flexed his muscle in the clinch as he showcased solid defense during those sequences.
The strike of choice for Hubbard in this bout was his elbows. Elbows that sliced open a gash on the head of McKenzie who would spend the rest of the fight bleeding profusely.
Hubbard won the fight in all phases, the clinch, the stand-up, and the ground game. Viewers may have been surprised McKenzie was able to survive the onslaught that came from Hubbard in the final 2 minutes of the first round. His superstar coach complimented his cardio as they walked back to the locker room post-fight,
"Huge heart dude. Your ability to keep on raining punches and pushing the pace... That dude's [McKenzie] got a freaking gas tank."
Hubbard shared his whole heart with the fanbase. The 31-year-old fights for the money to provide for himself, his wife, and his daughter. Hubbard, who trains with Team Elevation alongside UFC lightweight star Justin Gaethje, won the Caged Aggression Lightweight Championship just after the passing of his brother, Maxx, in 2022. He has been battling back into the UFC while dealing with emotional and financial turmoil.
Hubbard revealed through a conversation with Roosevelt Roberts that he carries his brother's ashes with him in a pendant that he wears around his neck at all times.
Hubbard spoke to his mindset coming into the competition when he said, " This opportunity would be huge for me. It's my chance at redemption. I know I have the skills and attributes to be a great fighter in this organization and I didn't quite get to show that my first time around. Now I have the opportunity to show it the second time, hopefully."
Team McGregor prospect Aaron Mckenzie is propelled by the support from his family back home in Oklahoma. His wife, whom he met around the same time that he began his journey into mixed martial arts, as well as their two dogs. A home video showed the couple celebrating their dog's sixth "Gotcha day" with pup-cups.
After the loss, cameras caught the normally composed McKenzie breakdown into tears as he was being transported to a local Las Vegas hospital in an ambulance.
This episode also featured another personal look at Conor McGregor. While McGregor avoided his team's weigh-ins for the third consecutive time; he began this episode by singing Oh Happy Day, dishing out hands-on advice on how to push through pain, as well as taking time out of his day to support a young fan's passion project.
Samuel Romero makes his own custom action figures using parts from already-made figurines. Romero custom paints his own decals such as fighter tattoos. Romero brought McGregor a case of his action figures to gift to the former two-division champion.
McGregor seemed completely enthralled by the fan's work and love for what he does. He gifted the young entrepreneur over one thousand dollars for his efforts. Romero's jaw was agape as "The Notorious" pulled out a massive chunk of cash from his pocket to pay him.
McGregor said he was excited to bring the action figures home to his three children to let them play with them.
Coach Conor was also seen serving pancakes with lemons and sugar to his fighters in bonus footage shown on AfterTUF. The pancakes were to honor the week of Lent within the Catholic faith. Fighters who were cutting weight were instructed by their coach to only "have a slice like it's a slice of pizza."
Next week's episode will feature a fight that was originally scheduled to happen in last week's episode. Team Chandler's Timur Valiev will faceoff against Team McGregor's Trevor Wells in a bantamweight bout. A guest coaching appearance from Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson was also teased as McGregor looks to help his team get back on track.
"This competition is going to start heating up, and it's going to be a lot of fun." Said Michael Chandler foreshadowing the season yet to come.
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