Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are officially out of the UFC 303 fight card. After hours of speculation following the official announcement, fans finally heard from the man himself. ‘The Notorious’ made a post on Instagram addressing the withdrawal from his highly anticipated comeback.
Conor McGregor has rarely pulled out of a fight in the UFC until now. As such, the Irish superstar posted on Instagram about why he had to pull out. He picked up an injury and needed more time to heal. Moreover, the superstar wanted to come back at his very best after three years away from the sport.
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.
Conor McGregor via Instagram
‘The Notorious’ revealed that the decision to postpone the fight was made in consultation with his doctors, the UFC, and his team. He thanked the fans for their messages of support. McGregor wrote that the setback did not demotivate him and that he would return before the end of the year. Interestingly, the comments on his Instagram post had been limited.
Michael Chandler has not stepped into the octagon since his showdown with Dustin Poirier in 2022. Meanwhile, McGregor is no longer the fighter who has never pulled out of a fight. Amidst all this confusion, Henry Cejudo made an interesting statement about how it could be a good sign for ‘The Notorious.’
Henry Cejudo says Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler canceled for UFC 303 is a good sign
Conor McGregor has never withdrawn from a set fight before. Definitely, everyone in the fight scene was talking about it. Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo shared their thoughts on the topic as well. Earlier, the duo spoke about the Irishman partying ahead of the fight. Now, Cejudo addressed the withdrawal and what the future holds for the Irishman.
Henry Cejudo comments on Conor McGregor withdrawing from fight with Michael Chandler (Image via Imago)The former UFC champion made an interesting point about how it was actually a good sign. He said that having to pull out may have killed a little bit of ‘The Notorious’s ego. As such, the former dual-champion believes it will motivate McGregor to become serious.
The fact that Conor McGregor has to pull out, that’s actually a really good sign. He’s probably killed a little bit of his ego. And now he’s taking it a lot more serious than ever. He’s at that point where, ‘I wanna make sure that I’m a hundred percent.’
Henry Cejudo via Pound 4 Pound podcast-Advertisement-
On the other hand, Kamaru Usman pointed out the dilemma the pullout has left Michael Chandler in. Usman said it was like dangling a carrot in front of him. No future dates for this highly anticipated showdown are available yet. However, Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka has replaced the canceled bout as the new main event.
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