McGregor and Chandler shot TUF 31 earlier this yearCredit: @TheNotoriousMMA – Twitter

At the start of his long recovery process, the former dual-weight UFC champion insisted his left leg would be stronger than ever after being fitted with a metal rod.

“What I needed was a titanium shin bone and now I’ve got a titanium rod from the knee to the ankle, the doctor says it’s unbreakable,” McGregor said days after UFC 264.

“Once I keep building back, playing with the balance, then build the strength – and I have an unbreakable titanium leg. I’m like Arnie [Arnold Schwarzenegger] in Terminator 2! I’ve got all the tools to do this and I’m going to do it.”

Almost two years later, MMA fans are still waiting to see it in a real fight and are not likely to until he faces off against Chandler at an event expected to take place this December.

McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Poirier in 2021Credit: Getty

Notorious’ promised it will be ‘unbreakable’ when he returnsCredit: Instagram @thenotoriousmma

In the meantime, the UFC duo recently filmed a season of the MMA reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter [TUF], where fighters share a house and compete for a UFC contract under the watchful eye of two established stars who act as coaches.

McGregor, who threw himself into the trainer role when he first appeared on the show in 2015, did so again for TUF 31 and even got some rounds in with his fighters.

The 34-year-old appeared to get a little carried away during a sparring session with Landon Quinone – one of his students – whom he dropped with a brutal left kick to the liver.

It was the first glimpse of McGregor’s ‘unbreakable’ leg in action and showed Chandler may need to watch out for the shot that crumbled a UFC hopeful.

McGregor landed a huge left body kick during TUF 31 filmingCredit: UFC/BT Sport

Landon Quinone dropped to the floor in pain – but his teammate says he probably deserved itCredit: UFC/BT Sport

While some accused the 34-year-old fight legend of going too hard on his student, another Ultimate Fighter competitor suggested Quinone got what he deserved.

“Tbf [to be fair] Landon has a problem going too hard in sparring,” Aaron McKenzie wrote under a Reddit post about McGregor’s knockdown.

“I’m not going to say he deserved it. But he probably did lol.”