Michael Chandler breaks his silence after Conor McGregor fight at UFC 303 was called off
Michael Chandler has broken his silence after his scheduled fight at UFC 303 against Conor McGregor was called off.
McGregor had to withdraw from the fight due to an injury, which was announced by the UFC itself.
In a tweet, Chandler posted his statement, saying, “I’m here just like I was in 2009 when I started. The most reliable man in MMA. See you when I see you.”
Chandler was set to enter the octagon for his first UFC fight since 2022 – when he lost by rear-naked choke submission to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281.
Since then, he has been a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31 – which set the stage for a return to the ring for both himself and McGregor, which did not materialize.
Michael Chandler has released a statement after his fight against Conor McGregor was cancelled
The Irishman himself released a statement via Instagram on Saturday: ‘Very difficult to be excluded from my planned return match.
‘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!’
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed a few days ago that McGregor is considering retirement after this injury. But the Irishman has since reconsidered.
“Ultimately,” a source told DailyMail.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 .
“Conor has been hurt more than he would like to reveal, but his ego made him think he could pull it off and fight later this month.
McGregor had to withdraw from his fight against Chandler on June 29 due to an injury
DailyMail.com exclusively reported that McGregor was considering retirement following this injury
‘But unfortunately, smarter heads prevailed when reality set in and as we got closer, Conor decided to get 100% healthy instead so he could have a few more fights over the years only to lose it all in a few weeks .’
Many McGregor fans wondered if the Dublin native would ever fight again after yet another setback prevented a possible return.
“Conor still has a handful of big money fights in him,” says a source.
“So to protect his future in the finance department it was best for him to call off the fight so if he does come back it will be a huge deal and he believes there will be a huge amount of momentum to get him a times to keep an eye on. again when he returns to the Octagon.”