Conor McGregor’s injury that will prevent him from headlining the fight card UFC 303 next to Michael Chandler was a significant setback for all parties involved. In the case of UFC executive director Dana White, he had limited time to reorganize the event. Since “The Notorious” was the injured party, a replacement was not necessary. White maneuvered to find an alternative fight, which was ultimately the bout between Alex Pereira and Jií Procházka, thus filling the combat gap that was expected to generate massive purchases on PPV. From a sporting perspective, the event has even grown.
For his part, Chandler has expressed his disappointment on his social media accounts. He commented that he was notified just as he was closing the most intense part of his camp. “I had just finished my last sparring session on Thursday morning, and I had been hearing rumors since Monday, but it wasn’t until about an hour after completing my last sparring session that I received the call,” he stated.
According to Chandler, his training was almost complete, and he was looking forward to avoiding injuries. “I was done with the overtraining, bumps, bruises, cuts… I was just done with that. I was the happiest and healthiest man, the hardest to kill and the most dangerous I’ve ever been in my life. Until 30 minutes later, I received a phone call saying that all that was for nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dana White discussed the situation during an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show.” “The question is, is this the end for McGregor?” White said. “Conor will be 36 in July. He has a lot of money. I never think guys like that, like Jon Jones, who knows, maybe he’ll fight again, maybe not. Conor McGregor, maybe he’ll fight again, maybe not. You never know with some of the kids who get to that level. You never know if you’ll ever see them again.”
White also stated that certain factors come into play when a fighter like McGregor or Jones retires, including age and the risk of injury. “Another thing is that they get older, you get hurt much more easily. There are more injuries than when you were younger, and you’re less willing to risk an injury than when you were young, hungry, and had no money,” he explained.
White reiterated that McGregor is currently injured and denied claims that the fighter wanted to renegotiate his contract.
