UFC 303 promised to be a spectacle. Ever since The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler, fans have eagerly been awaiting a clash between the two head coaches. Both Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor attract audiences on their own. Iron, as he often likes to be called, has had a lifetime worth of highlight moments in a relatively short UFC career. On the other hand, the Irishman, over the last decade, has crafted his status into that of the most popular combat sport athlete of all time bar none.
Thus, excitement around a potential bout was bound to intensify when news of UFC 303 dropped. However, recent developments have shown that the event taking place at the T-Mobile Arena during International Fight Week was built on a house of cards. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently shared news about the event that fans of the sport could find concerning.
Dana White in “limbo” over Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight
On a recent episode of TheMMAHour, host Ariel Helwani claimed that the UFC 303 main event was in trouble. Speaking on the show, Ariel claimed:
“I know there’s a lot of anxiety…doubt…concern, because this is such a big fight… No one involved, in particular from the UFC side and from the McGregor camp are speaking about this publicly… I found out that they [Dana and the UFC] are reaching out to people again, they are reaching out to managers…fighters. This fight is very much in limbo, I would say it’s hanging on and I would say that the UFC is working very hard right now to figure out a plan B.”
Ariel Helwani on TheMMAHour
If Helwani is right, it seems that the UFC 303 main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is under serious threat of being replaced, or worse, cancelled. This would undoubtedly put Dana White’s well laid plans in danger.
Fans believe suspense is a “promotional ploy” by the UFC
However, MMA fans on X (formerly Twitter) believe something else could be at play here.
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They believe that the UFC and Dana White are using the suspense before the blockbuster card, scheduled for just under three weeks from now, as a promotional ploy to sell more pay-per-views. One fan on X wrote:
“I’m guessing this is more hype. It’s working.”
@JordanJ80987386 on X (formerly Twitter)
“Ariel is playing with Conor. This is all negotiation tactics from Conor. He will not post pictures from his doctor cabinet if really there is an injury and smiling; it*s all game. Ariel is playing his part.”
@BiavaGuido on X (formerly Twitter)
One fan went as far as to suggest that the pre-fight chaos has been engineered by the UFC, claiming that Dana White and his promotion are manufacturing excitement in the chaos. The fan wrote:
“I feel like this is all a promotional ploy by the UFC. Honestly feel like there’d be some transparency on the UFC’s behalf if there were some injury concerns, issues with money, etc.”
@kingdarius_03 on X (formerly Twitter)
It’s clear that some fans believe that Dana White and the UFC are manufacturing promotion through this saga. There are however those that are truly worried about the situation. Conor McGregor hasn’t stepped foot in the octagon in nearly three years. As one of the biggest stars in all of combat sport, the Irishman’s draw is unparalleled. A cancellation to the fight will not only be devastating to the fans, but also to the UFC 303 card.
