The MMA world has been ripe with confusion over the past two weeks. Following the culmination of UFC 302 in Newark, all eyes were set on the promotions next PPV event: a highly anticipated bout between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. But, when a press-conference between the two fighters was unexpectedly canceled on less than twelve hours notice, it was clear that something was awry.
On June 3, the UFC announced that the McGregor-Chandler press conference set for the same day in McGregor’s home city of Dublin, Ireland, would be canceled without any news of rescheduling. Reports later came out that Michael Chandler was en-route to Dublin when he was given the news of the cancellation, forcing him to return to his home in Texas. This immediately raised concerns among the MMA community with suspicions that something had happened regarding Conor McGregor, and that the upcoming bout could potentially be in jeopardy.
Dear UFC Fans--
— UFC (@ufc) June 3, 2024
The #UFC303 press conference scheduled for Monday June 3rd in Dublin, Ireland at 3Arena has been postponed until further notice. We sincerely apologize to all the fans who were planning to attend. When we have further information on a new date and time, we will… pic.twitter.com/nIXRIZl5pv
Over the following days, rumors began circulating that the UFC was putting feelers out to other fighters across the roster in an effort to see who might be available to step in to replace McGregor vs. Chandler. Despite looking for a replacement event, there was no news of the UFC looking for fighters to step in in-lieu of either McGregor or Chandler, which stands to reason that they were still interested in pursuing the matchup and that more than likely, a postponement of the fight was on the horizon.
Though the UFC remained silent on the matter, the company’s social media accounts continued to advertise the upcoming bout, which led to increased debate as to whether or not the fight was indeed off. With the event just over two-weeks away, many fans grappled with the decision to cancel their flights and sell their tickets — a choice which seemed to remain in limbo until the UFC made an official announcement.
On the evening of June 13, ten days after press conference was canceled, UFC President Dana White officially announced that Conor McGregor had sustained an undisclosed injury and that the fight between him and Michael Chandler will be off for UFC 303. Headlining the card will instead be Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira, who will defend his belt in a rematch against No. 1 ranked, Jiri Procházka. Due to a knee injury suffered by Jamahal Hill the Co-Main event is also off, and a Featherweight bout between No. 3 ranked Brian Ortega vs. No. 14 ranked Diego Lopes will step in as a replacement.
UFC 303 International Fight Week June 29th pic.twitter.com/P47PSsKcg0
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 14, 2024
Additionally, another main event disaster occurred regarding the upcoming Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi on June 22, with Khamzat Chimaev being forced to pull out of his fight against former champion Robert Whittaker due to illness. Replacing him will be the unranked prospect, Ikram Aliskerov, who steps in on nine days notice to fight the former champion. Should Aliskerov win the bout, he will do it with one of the largest ranking disparities in UFC history.
