Conor McGregor has spoken out after his long-awaited UFC return against Michael Chandler was postponed this week due to injury.
The Irishman was finally scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in Las Vegas on June 29, but his latest setback put the fight on hold once again.
Just over two weeks before the event, Dana White announced on Thursday that McGregor was forced to retire after suffering an injury that reportedly left him contemplating retirement.
“But ultimately,” a source told Dailymail.com, “having to retire has lit a spectacular fire under his ass and he is more determined than ever to fight again this year and reschedule his fight with Chandler this fall.”
After pulling out of the fight this week, McGregor echoed that sentiment in a statement on social media.
Conor McGregor has spoken out after his return to the UFC was postponed following his latest injury
McGregor was forced to withdraw from his fight against Michael Chandler on June 29 due to injury.
“It’s very difficult to be ruled out of my scheduled comeback fight,” he said in an Instagram post on Saturday.
‘I was injured before the press conference and it required more time to heal than I had available.
“The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but was made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC and my team. My fans and opponent deserve my best for this fight and we will get it done!
‘Thank you for the messages of support, I’m in good spirits and I’m sure I’ll be back!’
McGregor is scheduled to fight Chandler for more than a year, with the pair initially facing off as trainers in the 2023 installment of The Ultimate Fighter.
White’s plan was for the two men to conclude that season by fighting each other, only for McGregor’s return to the Octagon to be delayed until 2024 when he failed to enter the USADA anti-doping agency’s testing pool in time.
The former two-weight UFC champion hasn’t competed in nearly three years, and his last outing against Dustin Poirier ended in gruesome fashion when he broke his leg in the first round.
The Irishman admits it was “very hard” to cancel the fight and promises he will return
He has been working his way back to full fitness and sharpness since then, although his latest retirement has left fans worried he will never fight again.
After confirming that his star attraction is out of this month’s show in Las Vegas, the UFC boss did not provide any further information on the nature of McGregor’s injury.
“Alright guys, here I am again… Conor McGregor is out for 303 against Michael Chandler with an injury,” White said in a video message before revealing the status of the new card.
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka now headline the event, dealing a blow to the legions of McGregor fans who had planned a trip to Sin City in two weeks.
McGregor’s proposed return after three years on the sidelines was already in major doubt after he recently pulled out of a press conference at short notice.
The 35-year-old was also seen partying on a wild night in Dublin a month after the fight, sparking concerns he would not be ready in time to face Chandler.
In a video that appeared on the Internet, he could be seen dancing with a group of men and pointing at the camera with his tongue sticking out.
During the footage, McGregor, who is engaged to his fiancée Dee Devlin, showed off an expensive watch on his left wrist before the camera focused on him using his tattooed hand to try to open a woman’s dress and touch her breast.
The unidentified woman quickly grabbed her leopard-print dress to avoid being exposed, before pulling her hand away as the video abruptly ended.