Conor McGregor is fighting michael chandler on June 29th. On Sunday, there was a chance he wouldn’t. On Monday, there was a real he probably wouldn’t, and on Tuesday no one had any idea.
In fact, no one ever had the slightest idea, it seemed, except MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, who reported on Wednesday that sentiment surrounding the fight was much more positive. The deciding factors in the ‘will they-won’t they?’ of McGregor vs. Chandler, a fight that lasted around 18 months, was held behind closed doors, which only led to more rampant speculation about the fight’s fate.
That is: it may not be fair to suggest that there was a chance McGregor would not compete on June 29th, when he was supposed to headline UFC 303 against Chandler in Las Vegas. But when a pre-fight press conference was canceled with just hours notice on Monday, with no explanation given by the UFC, while McGregor vaguely hinted at “obstacles beyond our control,” the rumor mill began.
The most sensible theory – and it is just that: a theory – is that McGregor may have suffered an injury on Sunday, needed a check-up on Monday and discovered in the following days that the problem was minor. This would be in line with the contours of this week’s emotional rollercoaster, but once again it must be emphasized: this is pure speculation, albeit a sensible one.
McGregor has never pulled out of a fight due to injury; in fact, he fought injured more than once. He has walked out of a press conference before, before his rematch and victory against Nate Diaz in 2016, but when he is hired to fight, he fights. That has always been McGregor’s personal rule, but, as Helwani noted, the Irishman has every right to relax the rule – especially now that he is older, at 35, and preparing to return from a devastating injury.
McGregor broke his leg in his last fight, his second consecutive defeat to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, six months after the American knocked out “Notorious” / “The Mac” / UFC main character. McGregor’s return therefore took three years of preparation, and his confrontation with Chandler was even announced in February 2023. The Irishman and the American went on to act as opposing coaches in the 2023 season last year. The last fighter (Chandler’s team of athletes comfortably beat McGregor’s along the way), but the program’s usual conclusion of a fight between trainer and trainer was missing.
In fact, McGregor vs. Chandler remained without a date, location and weight class until April 2024, when UFC president Dana White confirmed – upon reading a small piece of paper – that the fight would headline UFC 303, at T-Mobile Arena, on June 29th. Five rounds were scheduled at welterweight, above each man’s typical weight class(es), but a division in which McGregor has the most experience.
It was a surprisingly low-key announcement, with much more fanfare usually accompanying McGregor fight revelations. A month later, at UFC 301, a short but chilling teaser video aired. That certainly should have been the initial announcement.
Either way, the fight was official, the promotion had begun, and the final stretch of the road to McGregor vs. Chandler was paved. It had been a pretty complicated journey up to that point, but it was about to get more complicated.
Despite/due to the setting of stupendously high ticket prices for UFC 303, the card quickly broke the UFC’s all-time record by around $20 million, and a press conference was announced for June 3 in Dublin. McGregor, whose legal issues outside the ring have strained his relationship with the Irish in recent years, had the perfect chance to reconnect with his countrymen.
Tickets were free but required registration, and around 10,000 fans filled the 3Arena. Then, in the early hours of the day of the press conference, the UFC canceled the event with an apology, but no explanation. McGregor offered the same.
Even so, many fans had already booked flights, as did a significant portion of the crowd expected at the T-Mobile Arena on June 29th. That’s, of course, not to mention the money spent on tickets to McGregor vs. Chandler, which suddenly seemed to be under real threat. ESPN+ has apparently removed the link from its UFC 303 pay-per-view page, and the UFC has removed its recently posted YouTube videos of previous McGregor fights. The signs were ominous.
Chandler hinted in a cryptic Instagram post on Tuesday that he had left his training camp in Florida to return home to Tennessee. On Wednesday, McGregor shared a photo of himself smiling on a treatment table. There were no subtitles.
Is the Irishman getting carried away by the confusion and exasperation surrounding this episode? Is the master of self-promotion masterfully self-promoting?
The Dublin press conference, like all of McGregor’s previous press conferences, would have undoubtedly added to the already considerable enthusiasm for UFC 303 as the former champion seeks his first victory in four and a half years. But in the absence of that press conference, perhaps the ensuing concern is the next best form of exaggeration.
It’s never simple with McGregor, it’s always dramatic. And regardless of what fans may be feeling, the build-up to UFC 303 just got a lot more dramatic. Appropriately.
