michael chandler shared a cryptic post on Instagram on Tuesday, amid fears that his struggle with Conor McGregor will be cancelled.
McGregor x Chandler is predicted for the title UFC 303 on June 29, but speculation has grown this week that the fight will not go ahead, amid a series of worrying signs.
Firstly, a pre-fight press conference was canceled on Monday, just hours before it was scheduled to take place in Dublin. Then on Tuesday, ESPN’s pay-per-view link for UFC 303 appeared to have been removed. Additionally, the UFC removed its recently posted YouTube videos of previous McGregor fights.
Later on Tuesday (June 4), Chandler wrote on Instagram: “If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in Tennessee. There is no way out of the life we choose…”
Chandler, 38, has been holding his training camp in Florida but lives in Tennessee.
The American’s Irish teammate Paul Hughes said Severe MMA on Tuesday: “I saw him Monday morning and thought, ‘Shouldn’t you be in Ireland?’ But he really didn’t know what was going on. Just [that the press conference] It was canceled and that was it. He was back in the gym.
“What do you do? It looks like Camp McGregor… it was the McGregor camp that canceled – that’s obvious, everyone knows that. But I have no idea why.
The UFC provided no explanation for the press conference’s cancellation, but McGregor tweeted: “In consultation with the UFC, today’s press conference has been canceled due to a number of obstacles beyond our control.
“I apologize to my Irish fans and fans around the world for the inconvenience and thank you for all your passion and support. I can’t wait to put on the biggest show ever in the Octagon.”
The 35-year-old Irishman has not fought since July 2021, when he broke his leg in his second consecutive defeat to Dustin Poirier.
Meanwhile, Chandler hasn’t fought since November 2022, when he lost to Poirier via submission.
