Conor McGregor breaks his silence after pulling out of UFC 303 return against Michael Chandler: ‘I’ll be back’
Conor McGregor has spoken out after his highly anticipated UFC return against Michael Chandler was postponed this week due to injury.
The Irishman was ultimately scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in Las Vegas on June 29, but his latest setback saw the fight postponed once again.
Just over two weeks before the event, Dana White announced on Thursday that McGregor had to withdraw after suffering an injury that reportedly had him thinking about retirement.
“But ultimately,” a source told Ny Breaking.com, “having to withdraw has lit a spectacular fire under his ass and he is more determined than ever to fight again this year and reschedule his match with Chandler this fall .’
After withdrawing from the fight this week, McGregor reiterated that sentiment in a statement on social media.
Conor McGregor has spoken out after his UFC return was postponed following his latest injury
McGregor had to withdraw from his fight against Michael Chandler on June 29 due to an injury
“Very difficult to be excluded from my planned return match,” he said in an Instagram post on Saturday.
‘I suffered an injury prior to the press conference that took more time to heal than I could.
“The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but 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 that I will be back!’
McGregor is scheduled to fight Chandler for well over a year, with the pair initially going head-to-head as coaches on the 2023 episode of The Ultimate Fighter.
White’s plan was for the two men to end that season by fighting each other, but for McGregor’s return to the Octagon to be delayed until 2024 when he failed to enter anti-doping agency USADA’s testing pool in time.
The former two-weight UFC champion hasn’t competed in almost three years, with his last outing against Dustin Poirier ending horribly when he broke his leg in the first round.
The Irishman admits it was ‘very difficult’ to cancel the fight, while vowing he would return
Since then he has been working his way back to full fitness and sharpness, although his latest withdrawal has left fans worried he will never fight again.
After confirming that his star attraction will not be at this month’s show in Vegas, the UFC chief provided no further information on the nature of McGregor’s injury.
“Alright guys, here I am again… Conor McGregor drops out of the 303 against Michael Chandler with an injury,” White said in a video message before revealing the status of the new card.
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka are now the headliners of the event, which is a huge blow to McGregor’s legions of fans who had a trip to Sin City planned in two weeks.