Conor McGregor’s canceled return fight ahead of UFC 303 has left many fans pessimistic that he’ll ever return to the octagon, but the promotion’s most popular fighter said he’s “confident I’ll be back” in a Saturday social media post.
McGregor, 35, also confirmed in the post that he suffered an injury ahead of the scheduled news conference in Dublin earlier this month, an event that was canceled at the last minute.
“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout,” McGregor wrote. “I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me.”
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,… pic.twitter.com/ACNnbvr27p
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 15, 2024
The former two-division champion wrote that the decision was “not made lightly,” which helps explain why the news of a replacement bout took so long to be delivered. On Thursday, UFC president Dana White announced that a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka would be the new main event.
The cancellation of the original main event came after weeks of speculation that the bout could fall through, and follows years of anticipation for McGregor’s return. The former two-division champion hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in the first round of a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021.
McGregor’s initial opponent, Michael Chandler, will not be fighting on the card. He wrote on social media Friday: “Welp… back on hiatus” in a post that helped advertise Hiatus Tequila.
McGregor remains the UFC’s most popular star despite having just one win since 2016.
“My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there,” McGregor said Saturday. “Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!”
Discussions about rescheduling McGregor and Chandler’s bout have circled around dates in August or September, per Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour.
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