Conor McGregor's long-awaited return is less than a month away, but a canceled press conference in Dublin, cryptic social media posts from opponent Michael Chandler and other worrying signs have MMA fans worried the highly-anticipated bout at UFC 303 may be canceled.
UFC did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Athletic About the battle situation.
The promotion's silence came two days after a pre-fight press conference between McGregor and Chandler, scheduled for the 13,000-seat 3Arena in McGregor's hometown of Dublin, was cancelled less than 12 hours ago. UFC gave no official reason for the cancellation. “We will provide details on a new date and time as soon as they are available,” the promotion said.
Dear UFC Fans,
of #UFC303 The press conference scheduled for Monday, June 3 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland has been postponed until further notice. We sincerely apologize to the fans who planned to attend. We will provide more information on a new date and time when it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/nIXRIZl5pv
— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2024
“After consultation with UFC, today's press conference has been cancelled due to a series of obstacles beyond our control,” McGregor wrote on X later that day. “I apologise to my fans in Ireland and around the world for any inconvenience caused and thank you all for your passion and support. I can't wait to put on the greatest show ever in the Octagon.”
Since then, UFC has not shared any promotional content for UFC 303 on either X or Instagram. Then on Tuesday, Chandler shared a post that seemed at odds with expectations for the build-up to the fight.
“If you're looking for me I'm in Tennessee. There's no way out of the life we chose…” he said on Instagram.
Chandler, a Tennessee native, had been training in South Florida since January. Chandler and his team did not respond to requests for comment, and McGregor and his team did not respond to similar questions about Chandler's possible return.
Plant the seed of doubt. #UFC303
–
Keep walking.
–
See you at the top! pic.twitter.com/9BrPLVsqyO— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) June 4, 2024
Even UFC pay-per-view commentator and former fighter Daniel Cormier cast doubt on what was expected to be the most lucrative MMA fight of the year, saying on his show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” that he was “concerned” that everyone he's asked within the UFC has “kept quiet right now.”
“Let me say this as a friend, prepare to be a little disappointed,” Cormier told host Chael Sonnen. “I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but let me tell you something about UFC. … You know who Dana White doesn't want to disappoint? The fans. He doesn't want to disappoint his fans. When the press conference was canceled, there were people on Twitter and Instagram talking about traveling, being prepared to watch, flying to Dublin to watch the press conference, etc. This is disappointing.”
At least one prominent mixed martial arts official, Ariel Helwani, said on his show “The MMA Hour” on Wednesday that it's “very likely” the fight will go on as scheduled, but that UFC is inquiring with other fighters about their ability to fill in if the fight is canceled.
McGregor faces significant questions about his physical ability to return after breaking his left leg in a 2021 bout with Dustin Poirier, as well as numerous social media posts showing him partying before a fight.
UFC president Dana White told reporters after UFC 302 on Saturday that he wasn't concerned about McGregor's social media presence, and said afterward that he planned to fly to Dublin to speak with McGregor in person.
“You never know what's true and what's not true on the internet,” White said. “Conor's not stupid. This is obviously a big fight for him. He's calling it the greatest comeback in the history of sports.”
McGregor, still arguably the UFC's biggest star, has not won a fight since January 2020.
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(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
