Former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman make an argument for Conor McGregor pulling out of UFC 303 actually being a good move.
After weeks of speculation, it was finally confirmed earlier this week that Conor McGregor is out of his enormous PPV return at UFC 303 with an injury. As fans contemplate what’s next for ‘Notorious’, two former UFC champions are making a case that the fight cancelation actually being a good thing for the Irish superstar.
Former UFC champions argue Conor McGregor withdrawal is a ‘really good sign’
Earlier this week, Dana White took to social media to announce that McGregor had suffered an injury in preparation for his return fight against Michael Chandler, with the main event of UFC 303 now being re-booked for Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka 2.
Whilst fans around the world are bitterly disappointed that a Notorious comeback isn’t in the offering for the upcoming PPV, there are some big names within the MMA community arguing that the withdrawal is realistically speaking, only a good thing.
Discussing via the Pound 4 Pound YouTube channel, former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo and former welterweight king Kamaru Usman broke down this view; with ‘Triple C’ in particular noting that he believes the fight cancelation is a positive for McGregor.
“Let me put it to you this way Kamaru, the fact that Conor McGregor has to pull out is actually a really good sign… Now what do I mean by that is he’s probably killing a little bit of his ego and now he’s taking it a lot more seriously than ever.
“It’s also an experience for him, so the way that I’m taking it too is that they’re going to fight, but he’s at that point where ‘I want to make sure I’m 100%, like this comeback to me is [finally] real.’”
That unique, albeit convincing, perspective was echoed by Usman who himself noted that whilst “there’s no such thing as 100%, as fighters we always go in there with bumps and bruises but obviously, you’re right.
“It’s significant enough for Conor McGregor to say ‘You know what, I want to put out the best possible product out there for all the fans who have been waiting for my return, I want to put out the best me that I can – so I have to push this back because I am not able to give that right now.
“For him to say ‘Imma sit for a little bit, I’m going to push this back, and just prepare myself a little bit more’; it does say a lot, I agree with you.”
The UFC has not revealed a targeted date for a potentially re-scheduled clash between McGregor and Chandler, with the rumor being that the injury will only rule out the Irishman for around two months.
Only a few hours after Cejudo and Usman’s video went live on the Pound 4 Pound YouTube channel, Conor McGregor himself broke his silence on his withdrawal from UFC 303.
Conor McGregor posts statement following UFC 303 withdrawal
Throughout all of the confusion and speculation surrounding UFC 303, McGregor himself remained surprisingly coy about the whole situation – until yesterday when he posted his first statement since the fight cancelation was announced.
“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout,” he stated, revealing that “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.”
Interestingly, McGregor’s statement seemed to echo the points made by Cejudo and Usman when it read, “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.”
UFC President Dana White also recently spoke to Sports Business Journal to share his first comments since the main event of UFC 303 was pulled; simply acknowledging “It’s the business, man.
“This is the way it goes. And from here on I’m not going to talk about it until when he’s healed and he’s right. Then we’ll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out.”
UFC 303 is now set to be headlined by Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka 2 for the light heavyweight title.