Conor McGregor has released his first statement since withdrawing from UFC 303.
The Irish superstar was set to face Michael Chandler at The Sphere, Las Vegas on June 29, but talk of the bout potentially not happening rose following the press conference between McGregor and Chandler in Dublin, being cancelled at the 11th hour.
For the first time since the confirmation of the bout being off, McGregor took to social media to give his side of what happened. He said:
“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout. I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team. My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there! Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!”
The contest would have seen McGregor return to the cage for the first time since 2021, as ‘The Notorious’ looks to get back to the form he found himself in when he claimed both the Featherweight and Lightweight titles. McGregor is currently 1-3 in his last 4, with back to back losses to Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier serving as his most recent bouts.
Michael Chandler took to X, formerly Twitter following the McGregor withdrawal and said:
“Official statement: “I’m here, just as in 2009 when I started. The most reliable man in MMA. See you when I see you.
“No hard feelings. Heal up. My heart is full. See you soon."
At the time of writing, there is no confirmation as to if McGregor vs Chandler will go down later this year or of the promotion will explore other options for both fighters. Now serving as the UFC 303 main event, Alex Pereira will look to defend his Light Heavyweight title against Jiri Porchaszka, with Brian Ortega and Diego Lopez squaring off in the co-main event.
