The UFC 303 fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is expected to be a tough one.
Last week, the main event of UFC 303 was thrown into disarray when the scheduled press conference in Dublin for the event was postponed at the last minute without explanation. This immediately raised concerns that the long-anticipated bout between McGregor and Chandler was suddenly in jeopardy and reports quickly spread that the promotion was considering alternative plans for the International Fight Week main event.
But after a few days of tense speculation and an official announcement from the UFC, things are back on track and McGregor is set to fight Chandler in Las Vegas on June 29. That's officially the case, but according to a report from MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani on Wednesday, it's looking increasingly unlikely. MMA Hour.
“I think last Monday, optimism wasn't very high,” Helwani said. “There were some concerns, some doubts, some obstacles. I came on the show on Wednesday and said optimism was high. There was a lot of positivity. Those are all the words I used. It felt like we had averted a crisis, we had turned a corner.”
“On Tuesday I reported that UFC was reaching out to fighters and managers to find a replacement for this fight – either two new fighters or someone who could take the place of one of the fighters on the card. Obviously, the fighter we're talking about here is Conor McGregor – there's no way Chandler would be ready to hop on a plane to Dublin otherwise.
“So I said everything seems to be fine. And by Wednesday, no one was sniffing around, no one was talking about it. It seemed like all systems were fine.”
“I started hearing yesterday morning. This is a big fight so I know there's a lot of anxiety and doubt and concern. No one involved has spoken publicly about it. Chandler has done one interview so I guess that has allayed some of the concerns but no one is talking about it. And I'm finding out from multiple sources that they're contacting people again. They're contacting managers, they're contacting players, they're contacting people as potential replacements, as new fights, as back-ups, as replacements for McGregor or as insurance, just to be sure. All of this is in the works.
“Going a step further, as of 1:15 on Wednesday, the positivity I spoke of exactly a week ago is nowhere to be found. I believe this fight is in limbo. It's not over yet and the UFC is working very hard right now to figure out a Plan B. Plan B could be someone filling in to fight Chandler, Plan C could be an entirely new fight.”
There's been no official word yet on what's wrong with the bout, but MMA Fighting's Damon Martin confirmed to sources that McGregor's issues have put the bout in doubt and the organization is considering all options, but with UFC 303 just a few weeks away, it's unclear what alternatives are in place for the schedule.
