Conor McGregor Breaks Silence After Backing Out Of UFC Fight

ByShawn Lealos
conor mcgregor via insta 1

Conor McGregor was supposed to fight his Ultimate Fighter nemesis, Michael Chandler, this month at UFC 303. However, Dana White announced this week that the fight is off. White said Conor suffered an injury and couldn’t compete, so he added a couple of fights and rearranged the main event.

Now, McGregor has spoken up about the injury that caused the fight’s cancelation.

Conor McGregor Talks Injury Canceling UFC 303 Fight

When Dana White said the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight was off this month, he only said that McGregor was injured. However, the fighter has come forward to make an official statement about his injury.

Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor

McGregor made the announcement via his Instagram account. He said it was tough to cancel his return bout, but “I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me.” He said it was a decision he didn’t make lightly. However, his doctors, UFC, and his own team decided he couldn’t fight.

“My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there,” Conor said. He thanked his fans for their support and said he is in “good spirits and confident I’ll be back.”

This is highly disappointing as the UFC card was shaping up to be big for the company. It had already garnered a lot of buys, and McGregor vs. Chandler was the big selling point. It was supposed to be Conor’s first fight since he broke his leg fighting Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

Conor McGregor Was Planning His Big Comeback

Conor McGregor came to terms on the fight deal earlier in 2024 after he and Michael Chandler both worked on Ultimate Fighter. However, the UFC legend has not had much success in recent years and was hoping this fight would kickstart a new stage in his career.

Since his loss to Floyd Maywether Jr. in August 2017, McGregor has only fought four UFC bouts. He lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018 by submission, beat Donald Cerrone by TKO in 2020, and then lost back-to-back fights to Dustin Poirier in 2021. The first loss was by TKO (punches), and the second was his broken leg.

Conor’s MMA record is 22-6, but three of those losses came in his last four fights, and many fans felt his career was over.

Michael Chandler, for his part, wished Conor the best of luck and sent another light jab at him. He wrote on X that, “I’m here, just as in 2009 when I started. The most reliable man in MMA. See you when I see you.” He then followed up with, “No hard feelings. Heal up. My heart is full. See you soon.”

Are you disappointed to know that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler had to cancel their fight? Do you think they will ever face off in the octagon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Shawn Lealos
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