While it’s unusual for UFC to cancel an event, the abrupt cancellation of Monday’s scheduled UFC 303 press conference in Dublin, Ireland, left an uneasy feeling about the future of Conor McGregor’s return fight against Michael Chandler, scheduled for June 29.
While the press conference was technically “postponed,” the timing was the real concern, considering UFC CEO Dana White had said he was open to flying to Ireland to meet with McGregor just hours after UFC 302. Following the news that the press conference would not take place, McGregor released a somewhat cryptic statement saying the event was “cancelled due to a series of obstacles beyond our control,” but offering little else beyond an apology.
So, with just under four weeks until UFC 303, what exactly is going on?
Immediately after the press conference was cancelled, there were legitimate concerns that McGregor’s return might be in jeopardy, though MMA Fighting sources say UFC has had little to say about why the press conference was cancelled at the last minute.
That being said, there have been early discussions that UFC may consider alternative plans for the June 29 event that concludes International Fight Week in 2024. That could mean a replacement opponent or even an entirely new bout to headline the event.
While the focus was on McGregor, there was no word on whether he had suffered any sort of injury or if the “obstacle” the Irish superstar mentioned had anything to do with his looming contract negotiations. McGregor has publicly stated that he has two fights remaining on his contract with UFC and is currently in negotiations with the organization over a possible contract extension.
If negotiations prove difficult, McGregor could miss the press conference, which would naturally force the UFC to cancel the event.
Despite the gloomy mood earlier in the week, there was renewed hope on Wednesday that the McGregor-Chandler fight will go ahead as scheduled.
upon MMA HourAriel Helwani reported that there is “great positivity” and “tremendous optimism” that UFC 303 will go ahead as scheduled and that McGregor will appear in the Octagon for the first time in over three years.
An additional source, who spoke anonymously to MMA Fighting on Wednesday, said they are “confident” the June 29 fight between McGregor and Chandler will “still happen,” raising hopes that McGregor vs. Chandler will go ahead as scheduled.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that disaster could strike and the match could fall apart, but the doubts that arose immediately after the press conference was canceled have now been replaced by optimism that, for now at least, it may not have been all that big a mess.
The UFC has not publicly addressed the situation, which only serves to spread rumors that something is amiss, but maybe no news is good news after all.
Chandler, meanwhile, is sticking with that approach as he continues his training camp leading up to the June 29 bout. And by all appearances, McGregor is doing the same.
There’s a lot at stake at UFC 303, with McGregor looking to earn his first win since 2020 and return to the cage after suffering a gruesome leg fracture in his last fight of 2021.
The same goes for Chandler, who hasn’t fought since November 2022, after he signed a contract to fight McGregor after serving as his coach against him. Ultimate Fighter 31Filming for the reality show began in March 2023, meaning Chandler has over a year off filming in the hopes of welcoming McGregor back into the Octagon.
As this rapidly evolving situation continues to develop, there is renewed optimism that McGregor will fight Chandler on June 29th.
