Faber says McGregor didn't coach much because of potential opponents in TUF

Last month, Irish sensation Conor McGregor revealed that he was reluctant to accept the coaching spot on the latest series of The Ultimate Fighter. Last week, the European head coach said that he wasn't on the show to hold the contestants' hands and admitted to a more laid back coaching style in a heated discussion with rival coach, Urijah Faber.

Team Alpha Male bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw claimed on Tuesday that 'The Notorious' "didn't really even show up" as a coach on TUF, and now, teammate and friend Urijah Faber thinks he may know why.

'The California Kid' reaffirmed Dillashaw's statement but went on to describe how McGregor was training potential UFC opponents on the European team.

"He was there a little bit, but he wasn't hands-on," Faber said Wednesday, per MMAFighting. "I know he wasn't there for a lot of the practices."

"I talked to Sean Shelby and a lot of the guys on the European team were about to be in the UFC already, so those were maybe going to fight [McGregor eventually]," Faber said. "They're '55 pounders and '45 pounders, so who knows how that's going to play into things. That's all the best guys in Europe, so who knows."

The interim featherweight champion has teased at moving up to 155 lbs. after he faces Jose Aldo at UFC 194. At the UFC's "Go Big" press conference last week, McGregor targeted lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, and almost every other fighter on stage. The 27-year-old claimed that the 155 lbs. division was the "stuck in the mud" division.

The latest series of The Ultimate Fighter, which debuted last night, has kicked off with a bang. The ratings are reportedly up 27 percent from last season's American Top Team vs. Blackzilians show.