The much-awaited return of the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor at the main event of UFC 303 against Michael Chandler is at risk of getting cancelled.
The pre-fight press conference for the event had been scheduled in Dublin Ireland, however, the event did not go ahead as planned due to unknown circumstances with no new date confirmed by the UFC. As the controversy sparked, the ‘Notorious’ took to social media to address the postponement.
“In consultation with the UFC, today’s press conference was cancelled due to a series of obstacles outside of our control. I apologize to my Irish fans, and fans around the world, for the inconvenience and appreciate all your passion and support” he wrote on X.
The rumors also suggested that the Irishman had suffered an injury during a training camp that led to the postponement of the pre-fight press conference. The injury had led to the delay of a host of media obligations last week that went unnoticed.
McGregor last stepped in the octagon in 2021 when he fought Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 264. McGregor lost the fight in the very first round when he broke his leg resulting in a TKO win for Poirier.
Max Holloway To Step Up Amid McGregor Doubts?
If Conor Mcgregor were to pull out of UFC 303, Dana White would have to find a replacement to save the Main Card. One name gathering attention is Max Holloway as the BMF Champion is known to step up to big fights on a short-term notice. He famously stepped up when Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fight for the Lightweight title against Tony Ferguson was cancelled due to Ferguson’s injury.
“At one point of my UFC career I had more short notice fights than (scheduled fights),” Holloway said. “This is nothing new. I stay ready, in the gym all the time.”
However, as of now, there has been no confirmation from the UFC regarding any changes to the main card and it would be interesting to see how the situation unfolds as we are just 3 weeks away from the much-awaited return of Conor Mcgregor.
UFC 303 is scheduled to take place in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 29.
UFC 303 Fight Card
- Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
- Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
- Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
- Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
- Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
- Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
- Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
- Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
