The UFC 303 main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is finally cancelled. The news comes after several weeks of suspense following Conor’s missed press conference in Dublin, and a series of cryptic posts from Chandler. Dana White, who has reportedly been scrambling behind the scenes, recently announced that the much-awaited headliner is now cancelled due to an injury to the Irishman. Replacing the welterweight bout is a rematch in the light heavyweight division between the reigning Alex Pereira and former champion Jiri Prochazka.
However, it seems another UFC superstar wanted to be in the mix. Former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington recently showed his interest in possibly replacing Conor McGregor to fight against Michael Chandler on the UFC 303 card.
Colby Covington wanted to replace Conor McGregor as UFC 303 main event
Dana White’s announcement about UFC 303 was unfortunate but not unexpected. The immediate news of a replacement fight featuring Pereira and Prochazka, however, provided some relief. Check out the announcement below:
Now, though, it seems that Dana White had another high-profile choice he could make to replace the Conor McGregor fight. On ESPN MMA’s post on Facebook, Colby Covington made his intentions crystal clear. He undoubtedly wants a piece of that UFC 303 action. Commenting online, Covington wrote:
“Put me in coach 🙋🏻♂️ UFC”
Colby “Chaos” Covington on Facebook
Covington could indeed have been an interesting option for the card. Since there isn’t much star power outside of the main event, retaining Michael Chandler on the UFC 303 lineup could be a great move for Dana and his promotion. A welterweight bout against a returning Colby Covington would undoubtedly be a fascinating fight. However, it seems for now that Colby’s request has fallen on deaf ears.
Covington rejected UFC 303 opportunity against Ian Garry
If he really wanted it, Colby Covington could’ve been on the UFC 303 card which originally featured Conor McGregor. As per reports, Chaos was given the opportunity to fight Ian Garry in a welterweight bout. Garry, another Irishman, has been steadily rising the ranks of the division and has also been generating quite a buzz outside the octagon. Covington, on the other hand, is coming off a one-sided loss to reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
Colby reportedly believes that fighting 7th-ranked Garry makes little sense for someone of his stature and recognition in the UFC. This caused frustration for many, including former two-division champion Daniel Cormier. The MMA superstar-turned-analyst slammed Colby for his decision making, saying:
“I think he’s a good dude. I think he’s fine. But come on, Colby. Come on, brother. Colby can’t say or try to determine who gets a title fight right now because of the way he lost to Leon Edwards and the way he fought. It seems like he’s unwilling to fight Ian Garry.”
Daniel Cormier via YouTube
Cormier even went as far as to recommend Covington from stepping back from the public eye and re-evaluating his will and desire to fight for rankings in the division. Colby’s run of form in the UFC hasn’t been great of late. He has lost three consecutive title fights in the division, against Edwards, and Kamaru Usman twice. His last high profile win came in a grudge match against Jorge Masvidal, almost two years ago.
Ian Garry is now scheduled to face Michael ‘Venom’ Page at the event, in an all-European showdown. The fight promises to be a classic, with the technique of Garry on one side and the finesse of Page’s striking on the other. For Colby, however, things don’t look great. There are no ongoing discussions about his next fight, and with his request to replace Conor McGregor falling on deaf ears, it’s unlikely that MMA fans will see Chaos in the octagon anytime soon.
