In a shocking move, the Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler fight at UFC 303 has been canceled. This comes just two weeks before the fight was supposed to take place. Dana White gave an update on what would replace it and why McGregor pulled out.
Here is why Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler won’t fight and what will happen at UFC 303.
Conor McGregor Pulls Out Of Michael Chandler Fight
Conor McGregor will no longer be fighting Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. The fight was supposed to take place in Paradise, Nevada, at the T-Mobile Arena, which was the biggest profile of the matches on the card. However, Dana White announced it won’t happen and explained why.
McGregor (22-6) was scheduled to headline the event. However, he pulled out with an injury. The type of injury remains unknown, but this is a huge disappointment to fans expecting to see the fight headline the next UFC event. McGregor also no-showed the press conference on June 3.
Michael Chandler (a former Bellator MMA champion) originally called out Conor in 2022. The UFC made them coaches on The Ultimate Fighter in 2023. The two carried out their duties on that show, but they never reached an agreement to fight until this year. Conor claimed it would be the “Greatest Comeback in Sports History.”
Conor was supposed to return for the first time since he suggested he had broken his leg in a fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. At one time the biggest name in the UFC, Conor has only had four fights since his MMA vs. boxer battle with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. He only won one of those fights.
Chandler hasn’t fought since 2022, when he lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281. In addition to McGregor, Chandler also wanted to fight Nate Diaz and Max Holloway.
What Will Happen At UFC 303 Now?
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani said the UFC was “burning the midnight oil trying to find a replacement solution.” Dana White decided on a new main event between Alex Pereira and JiYí Procházka in a light heavyweight title fight. They previously fought at UFC 295 in 2023, where Pereira won the vacant title via a second-round TKO.
UFC 303 International Fight Week June 29th pic.twitter.com/P47PSsKcg0
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 14, 2024
White also added two more fights to the card to help replace the big missing fight. One of these is the co-main event, which will see former featherweight champion Brian Ortega fighting rising featherweight star Diego Lopes. The other is Carlos Ulberg vs. Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight fight (Carlos was supposed to fight Jamahal Hill, who was also injured).
Are you surprised that Conor McGregor pulled out of the Michael Chandler fight? Do you think they will ever fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
