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UFC 303 is 16 days away and the MMA world still has no idea what’s going on with the main event.
Former UFC Lightweight and Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor is scheduled to headline in Las Vegas later this month, but there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the bout. It doesn’t help that the UFC has been tight-lipped about the situation and hasn’t provided the fanbase with any concrete updates.
With less than two weeks to go until one of the biggest MMA events of all time, combat sports enthusiasts are wondering two things: 1) Is McGregor vs. Chandler going to be canceled? And 2) Is there a chance that UFC 303 will be canceled outright?
Here’s the latest on the situation and what could happen next.
Latest on UFC 303: McGregor vs Chandler Situation
If you’ve been following the UFC 303 main event story, you’ll agree that it has felt like a rollercoaster.
Fans were thrilled when this fight was first announced. After all, McGregor is one of the biggest names in UFC history and hasn’t fought in nearly three years while Chandler is a former Bellator Lightweight titleholder who isn’t afraid to back down from tough competition.
But any hopes and dreams for the fight began to dim at the start of June. Last week, the UFC canceled a McGregor vs. Chandler press conference in Ireland at the last minute without providing a reason as to why. Things got even more confusing when Chandler revealed that he was ready to travel overseas, but ended up staying in Tennessee after learning about the cancelation.
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin reported earlier this week that the postponement was McGregor-related.
Is the UFC 303 main event in jeopardy?
With the UFC not releasing any sort of statement regarding the UFC 303 main event, fans assumed that everything was good to proceed. Unfortunately, the latest from MMA insider Ariel Helwani indicates that might not be the case.
“I found out, via multiple sources, that they (the UFC) are reaching out to people again,” Helwani reported on Tuesday’s MMA Hour. “They are reaching out to managers, they are reaching out to fighters, as potential replacements, as a new fight, as backups, as someone stepping in for McGregor, or just as insurance.”
Even if it’s “just as insurance,” the fact that the UFC is reaching out to potential replacements is concerning. Helwani added that his sources aren’t feeling positive about the upcoming main event’s status and that “this fight is very much in limbo.”
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Deleted McGregor Social Media Post Sparks Controversy
Fans’ nerves became even more shot on Wednesday when McGregor made a cryptic social media post. The 35-year-old took to Instagram to post an old video of himself talking about injuries with sad and praying hands emojis overlayed on top of it.
McGregor quickly deleted the video, but that didn’t stop MMA supporters from wondering what it meant. Assuming that McGregor is injured, wouldn’t it make sense for the UFC to come out and announce it?
While some people are convinced that the former champion is injured, not everyone is on the same page. Gilbert Burns — a former UFC welterweight title challenger and Chandler’s Kill Cliff FC teammate — took to his YouTube channel on Tuesday to talk about how believes that everything that’s going on is all mind games from McGregor.
” I think, my opinion, Conor McGregor is pulling up the Ryan Garcia card — you know, trying to act a little bit crazy,” Gilbert stated on his channel, which has over 67,000 subscribers. ” I think he’s bluffing. I think he’s good. The fight’s going to happen and just making people overthink.”
Burns is referring to world-class boxer Ryan Garcia, who had people thinking he was mentally unfit ahead of his April bout against Devin Haney. Garcia ended up winning via majority decision, indicating that the lead-up to the fight could’ve been his plan to throw Haney off his game.
Nevertheless, we still don’t know if McGregor is trolling and likely won’t until an official announcement is made.
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So, is UFC 303: McGregor vs Chandler Canceled?
As of Thursday, June 13, the UFC 303: McGregor vs. Chandler main event is still on. Even if the outlook isn’t promising at the moment, we have to assume the headling act is going on as scheduled as long as the UFC, venue, and fighters are still advertising it.
Even if McGregor is replaced or the fight is scrapped, it’s incredibly unlikely that the entire pay-per-view will be canned. The last time that the UFC canceled an event for non-COVID reasons was when a replacement main event couldn’t be found for UFC 234 — over five years ago.
At the end of the day, the UFC is likely delaying things for financial reasons, too. A ton of refund requests would roll in if McGregor was removed from the PPV, meaning the company is likely working day and night to find a replacement competitor/fight that would cause less backlash.
Hopefully, whatever solution emerges benefits the fans. Being in week-to-week limbo isn’t fun — especially with the PPV just two weeks away — and the fans deserve better than paying for a main event that isn’t guaranteed to happen.
UFC 303: McGregor vs Chandler Information & FAQ
When is UFC 303?
- UFC 303 will take place on Saturday, June 29, 2024.
Where is UFC 303?
- UFC 303 airs live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
What time does UFC 303 start?
- UFC 303 Early Prelims Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
- UFC 303 Preliminary Card Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
- UFC 303 Main Card Start Time: 10 p.m. ET
How to Watch UFC 303
- UFC 303 Early Prelims Channel: ESPN+, ESPN
- UFC 303 Preliminary Card Channel: ESPN+, PPV
- UFC 303 Main Card Channel: ESPN+, PPV
How to Bet on UFC 303
- All of the top online sports betting sites will have UFC 303 odds, but here are some of the sites we recommend most for UFC betting enthusiasts.
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