Veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has offered a concerning update surrounding UFC 303 and the return of Conor McGregor now being ‘in limbo’.
The atmosphere surrounding the long-awaited return of Conor McGregor had been turning decidedly positive over the past seven days; no more, as veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani reveals that the main event fight for UFC 303 is frustratingly now ‘in limbo’ behind the scenes.
The UFC 303 McGregor withdrawal story took a turn over the past seven days
Following the last-minute cancelation of the UFC 303 press conference in Ireland, speculation spread like wildfire that Conor McGregor was injured and out of his long-awaited main event return fight against Michael Chandler.
McGregor appeared to jokingly lean into the speculation, posting an image of himself smiling from what appeared to be a doctor’s office and as promotional material for the event continued to be shared, concern over a withdrawal began to quell.
Then, on Tuesday, fan-favorite MMA reporter Ariel Helwani shared a concerning update to the ongoing story, that the UFC had restarted its search for a potential replacement.
“But since this morning, multiple sources are now saying feelers are being sent out again for June 29. For a replacement and/or new fight(s),” he said.
“In short, there seems to be pessimism all over again regarding the status of the 303 main event. Actually even more pessimism – it seems – than on Monday last week after the presser was canceled at the last minute.”
Unfortunately, those concerns have now been compounded with Helwani’s latest update regarding the return of ‘Notorious’ and it’s sadly even worse than we could have imagined.
Ariel Helwani offers concerning update for Conor McGregor at UFC 303
Speaking on today’s episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani noted that despite all of the positivity, and promotional material that has been published over the past seven days, as well as the interview by The Pivot Podcast with Michael Chandler, it’s starting to look grim for the UFC.
“Yesterday morning, I started to hear as I continue to check in… I found out that via multiple sources, that they are reaching out to people again, they are reaching out to managers, they are reaching out to fighters.”
Helwani reiterated that this means “As potential replacements, i.e., a new fight, as backups, as someone stepping in for McGregor or just as insurance just in case, all these things are in play.
“One step further, here we are on Wednesday and the positivity that I talked about exactly one week ago today is nowhere to be found… I would say that this fight is very much in limbo, it’s hanging on – I would say that the UFC is working very, very hard right now to figure out a plan B.”
The iconic sports journalist acknowledged that “plan B could be someone stepping in to fight Chandler, [whereas] plan C could be a whole new fight,” although potential options as to who could step up are few and far between.
“If you look at the roster, if you look at who’s available, if you look at the champions who have just fought or who are scheduled to fight, there aren’t a tonne of options – there really aren’t.”
Helwani explained that “I’m telling you where we stand right now and I’m telling you the god-honest truth,” as he pointed to the fact that still after all this drama, we’ve not heard a counter from either Dana White or another member of the UFC brass.
“As of right now, it’s pessimism, they’re searching for, reaching out, putting our feelers, making offers, this is where we stand and it’s in great limbo.
“As of right this second, I have to shoot straight – I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but them’s the facts, it’s not looking good.”
Ultimately, the case of whether or not Conor McGregor will feature on June 29th in Las Vegas is now a ticking timebomb, one that could very easily blow up in the faces of fans if the issue isn’t amended quickly.
“Time is ticking and if this fight was in late-July then this would be a totally different story. They either find someone on two and a half weeks’ notice to step in either for McGregor, or a whole new fight.”