- Conor McGregor has withdrawn from UFC 303 after suffering an injury
- His three-year absence from the UFC will continue after his setback
- Fans are now concerned that the former two-weight champion will never fight again
Fans have raised new concerns about Conor McGregor’s MMA future after he pulled out of his UFC 303 fight with Michael Chandler on Friday morning.
Doubts about the fight were raised just under two weeks ago when a planned press conference in Dublin was canceled just hours before it was due to take place, and McGregor appeared to hint he was on the verge of postponing the bout when he posted an old video . of himself discussing his injuries on Instagram on Thursday before deleting it.
Official confirmation came in the early hours of Friday morning in Britain that the fight has been canceled due to the Irishman’s injury, with Dana White announcing that a light heavyweight world title rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka will now top the bill to stand. UFC303.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported this the UFC wants to move the fight to August or Septemberbut some fans are now having serious reservations about whether McGregor will ever be seen in the Octagon again after a three-year layoff.
‘I am convinced McGregor will never fight again. So disappointing man,” one fan posted on X.
Conor McGregor will not fight at UFC 303 due to injury
His highly anticipated fight with Michael Chandler (pictured) will no longer take place on June 29
Some fans believe Conor McGregor’s career is over after he pulled out of the fight against Michael Chandler
Another
McGregor has fought just four times in the UFC since November 2016 and won just one of those fights.
In his last fight, he suffered a horrific broken leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, forcing the referee to halt proceedings at the end of the first round.
Since then, the former two-weight champion has insisted he would return, but his comeback was postponed last year as he had to re-enter the USADA drug testing pool.
After agreeing to this, McGregor announced in late 2023 that he would face Chandler on June 29 in conjunction with International Fight Week, and that date was later confirmed by the UFC.
But his clash with Chandler has been postponed again, with some supporters convinced he will no longer face the American or anyone else before overhauling his career.
One fan wrote on X: “McGregor is absolutely done. Now just retire.”
This message was echoed by another fan, who claimed: ‘McGregor is done.’
Some fans have called for McGregor to retire after the latest delay to his comeback
Dustin Poirier made fun of his rival after his fight with Chandler was postponed
Despite being away from the Octagon, McGregor remains a popular figure on social media, and he poked fun at his old rival Poirier this week after the pay-per-view figures for his fight with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev earlier this month were released. public.
‘500k PPV buys 302 done. A nothingburger,” McGregor wrote.
Poirier responded just minutes after McGregor’s withdrawal was confirmed by brutally mocking his bitter rival as he posted on X: ‘#NothingBurger’.
This is the first time McGregor has ever postponed a fight, and he has been known to continue fighting even if he has suffered an injury beforehand.
But he turns 36 next month, and after another setback in his comeback plans, there are major doubts about whether he can ever be the force he once was.