McGregor Addresses His Injury Setback – ‘I’ll Be Back’
Conor McGregor has spoken out following his injury setback.
The Notorious was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler on June 29 at UFC 303. It was meant to be McGregor’s first fight since his 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirier. The Irishman is returning from a leg injury, as there were serious question marks over whether he is the same fighter. The anticipation had been building, with the live gate setting a new UFC record.
The gate exceeded $20 million, while the tickets for the presser sold out in nine minutes. But shortly after, things started going wrong. The UFC canceled the presser. McGregor remained coy, saying obstacles were preventing it from happening. He was then spotted at a doctor’s office, sparking the alarm that he was injured.
Ariel Helwani responded to those claims by suggesting the UFC were putting out feelers for a replacement. That was confirmed when White stated that the new main event would be a rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka. While that is a mega event, it left McGregor and Dana White disappointed, given the mass anticipation.
McGregor Reacts
“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,” McGregor said
“It’s the business, man. This is the way it goes. And from here on, I’m not going to talk about it until when he’s healed, and he’s right. Then we’ll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out,” White stated
Chandler was also left reeling from the news. He has not had a UFC fight since losing to Poirier in 2022 at UFC 281. The main reason was that Chandler waited to get the McGregor fight. During this time, the fight was built up as they squared off as rival coaches on the TUF 31 series. Chandler won the team challenges, while McGregor won the coach’s challenge. That set up a narrative for a big fight.
Chandler Reacts
But McGregor is 35, with plenty of things outside the octagon keeping him occupied. The extended periods of inactivity following his injury will only harm him. Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman were never the same fighters since their respective leg injuries. If McGregor desires to only fight for world titles, he will have to ask serious questions about himself. There are reports that the fight could occur at UFC 306 in September at the Las Vegas Sphere. But in the meantime, Chandler has been left to ponder the disappointment.
“[McGregor] was never the safe bet as an opponent, he was always the highest risk. Maybe the highest reward… but the biggest opportunity. There is no right or wrong in business… you only take risk to grow, or remain comfortable where you are. Embrace the uncertainty. Seek the opportunity. Take calculated risk… That’s what [Chandler] does.
“And if it doesn’t go as planned… redirect the course to something even more great. Our respect to the man who represents the fight world better than anyone we’ve ever known. NO FEAR. NO LIMITS. [And] NO EXCUSES. Make hard work your passion – who cares who’s on the other side of the punch,” Chandler,” stated
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