UFC 303: Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler is ”very much in limbo”

The UFC 303 main event on June 29th between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is STILL in jeopardy.

The highly anticipated return of UFC superstar McGregor has been surrounded by question marks ever since the press conference in Dublin was abruptly postponed without any explanation. This sparked immediate concerns among fans, with multiple reports emerging that the UFC was looking for replacement fighters ahead of their International Fight Week main event.

There was no official announcement from the UFC, and after a couple of days, speculation seemed to slow down. That is, until MMA journalist Ariel Helwani once again sent the media and fans into a frenzy. According to Helwani, ”The fight is very much in limbo,” and the UFC is trying to figure out two different scenarios: finding a replacement for Chandler or booking a whole new main event.

“Yesterday morning I started to hear — as I continued to check in because I know there’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of doubt, a lot of concern about this because it’s such a big fight and because no one involved are speaking about this publicly, Chandler did the one interview and I think that squashed some concern, but no one is really talking about this — and I found out, via multiple sources, that they are reaching out to people again. They are reaching out to managers, they are reaching out to fighters, as potential replacements, as a new fight, as backups, as someone stepping in for McGregor, or just as insurance. Just in case. All these things are in play.

“One step further, here we are, Wednesday, 1:15, the positivity that I talked about exactly one week ago today is nowhere to be found. I would say this fight is very much in limbo. I would say it’s hanging on and the UFC is working very, very hard right now to figure out a Plan B. The Plan B could be someone stepping in to fight Chandler, the Plan C could be a whole new fight.”

Ariel Helwani: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is "very much in limbo" and the UFC is exploring options for plan B.

“The positivity that I talked about exactly one week ago today is nowhere to be found.”

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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 12, 2024

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UFC 303: Conor McGregor Withdrawal Rumors

For those who have been following along lately, this should come as no surprise. Helwani has been reporting since last week that the ”optimism level was not very high” for McGregor vs. Chandler to take place as planned. He has mentioned that the UFC has been sending out so-called ”feelers” to fighters and managers to see who could potentially step in.

Even though the UFC might replace the main event completely, it seems the issue lies with McGregor. Chandler was ready to board the plane to Dublin when he found out that the press conference was canceled, but he has been tight-lipped ever since. McGregor remains active on social media but refuses to comment on the situation, instead teasing his followers.

There are rumors that Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 could be in the works to replace McGregor vs. Chandler, but these are still only rumors.