Michael Chandler has broken his silence after his planned bout at UFC 303 against Conor McGregor was called off.
McGregor had to back out of the fight due to an injury, which was announced by the UFC itself.
In a tweet, Chandler put out his statement, saying, ‘I’m here, just as in 2009 when I started. The most reliable man in MMA. See you when I see you.’
Chandler was set to step inside the octagon for his first UFC bout since 2022 – when he lost by submission via a rear-naked choke to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281.
He has since been a coach in The Ultimate Fighter 31 – which is what set up the return to the ring for both himself and McGregor which didn’t materialize.
Michael Chandler released a statement after his bout against Conor McGregor was cancelled
The Irishman released a statement of his own on Saturday via Instagram: ‘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, and my team. My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there!
‘Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!’
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed days ago that McGregor was considering retirement after this injury. But the Irishman has since reconsidered.
‘Ultimately,’ a source told DailyMail.com, ‘having to withdraw has lit a spectacular fire under his a** and he is more determined than ever to fight again this year and to reschedule his match with Chandler this fall.
‘Conor has been more injured than he would like to reveal but his ego made him think he would be able to pull it off and fight later this month.
McGregor was forced to pull out of his fight against Chandler on June 29 due to injury
DailyMail.com reported exclusively that McGregor was considering retirement after this injury
‘But alas, smarter heads prevailed when reality set in and as we got closer, Conor decided to get 100% healthy instead so he could have a couple more fights over the years over losing it all in a few weeks.’
Many of McGregor’s fans wondered if the Dublin native would ever fight again after yet another setback preventing a possible return.
‘Conor has a handful of big money fights left in him,’ a source says.
‘So to protect his future in the financial department, it was best for him to call off the fight, so when he does come back, it will be a huge deal and he believes that there will be tremendous amount of momentum towards watching him once again as he gets back into the Octagon.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk