On This Day: the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler press conference in Dublin was abruptly canceled.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor‘s long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler was demolished just weeks after the fight was announced.
McGregor and Chandler were set to begin a global media tour in Dublin, Ireland ahead of UFC 303 on June 3rd, 2024. But just hours before the Dublin press conference, the media event was abruptly canceled, originally for undisclosed reasons.
Rumors quickly swirled as speculation grew about the state of the McGregor vs. Chandler fight. Everything from a rumored McGregor stint in a rehabilitation facility, to McGregor changing his mind on resuming his fighting career, surfaced on social media after the press conference was canceled.
Chaos ensued after the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler press tour was scratched
A few days after the bizarre Dublin press conference cancelation, UFC fans got some answers on why the media event was canceled. McGregor announced he suffered an injury leading up to UFC 303 that forced him off the card.
It was later disclosed that McGregor’s pinkie toe was broken during his fight camp while preparing for the Chandler fight. While it wasn’t a severe injury pointing to a long-term absence, it was serious enough to scratch the UFC’s plans for UFC 303.
McGregor promised he’d resume training once he was fully cleared to return following the toe injury, but one year later, his fighting career remains in a holding pattern. McGregor hasn’t appeared in the Octagon since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy.
The UFC 303 headliner ended up being a short-notice rematch between then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jiri Prochazka. Chandler returned later in 2024 against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, losing by unanimous decision.
McGregor was briefly linked to a boxing match with Logan Paul earlier this year before the UFC brass allegedly squashed negotiations. As of this writing, McGregor remains under contract with the promotion, but a timeline for a potential comeback fight remains a mystery.
Despite the repeated stalls of the McGregor vs. Chandler showdown, Chandler proposed a new target date for McGregor to return to the Octagon to settle their unfinished business.
Conor McGregor offered new date by Michael Chandler for UFC comeback fight
In a recent post on Threads, Chandler called for a January 24th, 2026 fight date for him and McGregor to meet in the Octagon. As of this writing, McGregor hasn’t responded to Chandler’s proposal.
Chandler is looking to get back in the win column after a recent loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 in April. The former Bellator titleholder is 2-5 in his UFC tenure.
As for McGregor, UFC CEO Dana White recently warned fight fans not to expect the Irish star’s return to the cage anytime soon. But in the meantime, tensions remain thick between the two coaches from The Ultimate Fighter 31.