Alexander Volkanovski insists there have been a few "blow-ups" between him and fellow head coach Brian Ortega during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter.
And on top of that, the Aussie featherweight champion reckons the softly-spoken Ortega isn't all that he makes out to be, adding that he "doesn't care about anyone else but himself".
Volkanovski has been over in Las Vegas shooting the popular television series, which sees him go up against the division's number one contender in a coaching duel before they eventually lock horns in the octagon after the show's conclusion.
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But while 32-year-old Volkanovski says it was an honour to be a part of TUF history, he also admits there was a few tetchy and heated moments between the two coaches during filming.
"I really enjoyed The Ultimate Fighter, it was definitely a different experience. There was definitely some blow-ups though," Volkanovski told SPORTbible Australia.
"We were all cool at the start but spending time with each other and competing against each other was always going to see things go sour - and it definitely did.
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"What I thought of him before the show compared to now is completely different. The fans at home will get an understanding of what I mean once the show airs. I just think he's a bit full of himself and he doesn't care about anyone but himself. That's the vibes I got. And I'm the type of guy where if I see that sort of stuff then I'll call people out on it."
When it was suggested that some UFC fans might think Ortega actually comes across as a decent bloke on the surface, Volkanovski wasted no time in shutting that idea down completely.
"No no no. That's all s**t," he said.
And when asked whether hanging around with his 145-pound rival on a daly basis made Volkanovski want to punch him in the face even more, the featherweight champ simply said: "Yes. 100% yes. Of course, I just can't wait to get out there (and fight him).
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"I have a job to do and I'm not the type to get emotional about things, but it's going to feel really good getting my hand raised," he continued.
"I don't really get to see too much of his training sessions or practices, but when the show airs on TV then I'll be looking forward to seeing his coaching style, what he's teaching them as well s reads he's getting on our guys.
"There's just so much I can take out of these episodes, that's why I cannot wait to watch it because there'll be a lot of information there. A lot. I'm going to learn how their coaching staff thinks and exactly his deep they go with study. Do they just look at step one and two? I look at step one, two, three, four until step 100. I go real deep, but the vibes I got was that they don't do that. I can't give too much away, but from what I see I feel like the information I get from this show is going to help me in the lead up to our fight.
"I don't believe he's at our level."
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Fight fans cannot wait to feast their eyes upon the highly-anticipated TUF comeback series, which airs on Wednesday June 2 on ESPN.
But it seems one person who isn't too keen on watching the 29th instalment of legendary show is UFC welterweight Colby Covington.
The trash-talking former interim champ recently slated Volkanovski and Ortega, claiming the coaching duo would make a "complete mockery of the show" and have "no entertainment factor" between them.
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These comments eventually made their way to Volkanovski, who didn't hesitate in firing right back at Covington via social media.
Now the Aussie fan favourite has now gone to town on Covington, exposing him for "playing a character to stay relevant" and "whinging about needing security".
"It's Colby Covington, who cares about the s**t he says? He's just gonna say s**t no matter what," Volkanovski added.
"He can say whatever he wants, I obviously bit back. I think he had a role (as a coach on TUF) and it fell through so honestly he's just butt hurt about it.
"He's just sitting on the sidelines, I mean how long has it been? It's been a while since I last fought but I was meant to fight Ortega earlier this year and at least I'm doing things in the meantime such as the TUF series. Colby's just sitting there waiting for title shots and just talking s**t to stay relevant.
"He literally plays a character. He literally plays a character to stay relevant, he never used to be like that. Who even does that? He can't be himself because no one cares about the normal Colby Covington? Nobody. He plays a character but then whinges about it when it bites him in the arse. I've heard him moaning about the fact he needs security. Mate, if you wanna play that role then stick to it and don't whinge about it. That's the type of person he is, he's a sook. It's Colby covington, you can't take anything that bloke says too seriously."
Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega will battle it out on series 29 of The Ultimate Fighter, which debuts on Wednesday June 2 on ESPN.
The two coaches, featherweight champ Volkanovski and number one contender Ortega, will then look horns for the 145-pound title at a later date which is yet to be announced by the UFC.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@alexvolkanovski/@ufcTopics: Brian Ortega, UFC, Featherweight, Australia, MMA, TV Show
