UFC News: Is Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler in Jeopardy?

UFC fans worldwide have been awaiting the return of superstar Conor McGregor, who has not stepped into the octagon since he suffered a broken leg against Dustin Poirier on July 10, 2021. McGregor is slated to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29, but the pay-per-view event might already be in trouble.

Read more: Conor McGregor Issues Statement on Canceled UFC 303 Press Conference

The UFC announced that the UFC 303 press conference, which was set for Dublin, Ireland on Monday, was postponed. There were no additional details about what caused the postponement, but reports came in that the entire thing was fully canceled. The cancelation was then addressed by McGregor himself.

Canceling or postponing a scheduled press event is a rarity in the UFC, and rumors began to swirl about the possibility that the scheduled fight between McGregor and Chandler might now be off. Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier and UFC star Chael Sonnen spoke about these rumors on their “Good Guy, Bad Guy Podcast.”

While addressing the rumors that the UFC 303 main event is in jeopardy, Sonnen offered a more hopeful outlook on the situation. According to Sonnen, “I kinda don’t agree with the speculation. I think perhaps Conor McGregor, for the first time ever, is starting to focus. People love to use that word when they talk about focus. I don’t know if people know what that means. It means you say ‘no’ a lot more than you used to.”

Sonnen is alluding to McGregor not wanting to lose focus leading up to his UFC return by canceling media appearances. He also reveals that the Irish superstar also canceled all of the media appearances he was scheduled for, not just the planned press conference. Sonnen just believes that McGregor is completely locked in and does not want to be distracted, which is certainly his right.

Cormier offers a bit more of a cynical take on the speculation the fight could be off. His worry comes from the random cancelation of the UFC 303 press conference.

“I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, Chael. Let me tell you something about the UFC. Dana White will argue and scream at the media. Dana White will give the media a hard time. Dana White has no problem letting the media down, Chael. Do you know who Dana White doesn’t like letting down? The fans … to me, this [canceled press conference] feels like a big deal. I have reached out to many in the organization to try and find out what happened. And when everybody is tight-lipped as they are right now, to me, that is a little worrisome.”

Cormier’s response to the canceled UFC 303 press conference has been shared among many fans on social media. The speculation has reached a point where even longtime MMA insider Ariel Helwani responded to a fan’s request for an update, though his comment was not all that convincing.

Helwani states, “No news at the moment. The hope is still that the fight is on. There is positivity, I’d say. But they have sent out feelers to see who might be able to fill in, either as a replacement or an entirely new fight at the top of the bill. Still developing, and still some time.”

Sending out “feelers” for a replacement is the most concerning thing about his comment. This begs the question, who has pulled out of this fight?

McGregor has not fought in nearly three years, and his career has led to many different avenues like boxing, being an entrepreneur, and being a movie star. He could honestly walk away and be financially set for the rest of his life. The hope would be he would return to the UFC, but he also suffered a nasty leg break in 2021 — which could deter most athletes from returning to the sport that caused such a terrible injury.

Chandler might also be dealing with an undisclosed injury, though this is just wild speculation. As it stands right now, nobody quite knows what is happening, which is also concerning.

McGregor changed UFC when he exploded onto the scene, and though fans have been clamoring for his return it might be delayed, if it happens at all.