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Dana White Breaks Her Silence on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler UFC 303 Fight Cancellation

Posted on by angelo
Dana White Breaks Her Silence on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler UFC 303 Fight Cancellation

UFC boss Dana White has no interest in speaking further about Conor McGregor’s injury issues until he is recovered and ready to return.

The promotion’s CEO was forced to rush into a new UFC 303 main event after the Irishman pulled out of his scheduled fight against Michael Chandler this month. After three years out due to a broken leg, he was due to return on June 29, but was forced to withdraw due to a secret injury this week.

McGregor and Chandler were scheduled to face each other as early as February last year, but no official date was released until this year. Nearly a year after their season of The Ultimate Fighter aired, they were signed on and had sold $20 million worth of tickets before the cancellation.

Dana White gives first comments on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler UFC 303 cancellation

Dana White had one of the most unenviable weeks of his career, being forced to find main events at short notice for two key events in a row. The UFC is set to debut in Saudi Arabia next Saturday and fan favorite Khamzat Chimaev has been forced out due to a “violent” illness.

And then McGregor, who was injured hours before a press conference in Dublin that was ultimately canceled, was forced to pull out of their biggest event of the year. “It’s been interesting because we had to change the Saudi main event, which is next weekend,” White told Sports Business Journal.

UFC President Dana White (center) speaks to the cast as coaches Michael Chandler (left) and Conor McGregor (right) attend filming of The Ultimate F...
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“You know what I mean? It’s in a few days, so for us to put this guy Ikram Aliskerov who is 15-1, he’s Muslim and his only loss is to Khamzat Chimaev, and everyone in the division said no to fighting him except Robert Whittaker? I’m very happy (with the quality of the replacement fights).

Speaking specifically about Conor McGregor, White said he won’t speak further about the situation until he’s finally ready to return. “That’s the deal, man,” White continued, having already been forced into similar situations.

“That’s how it happens. And from now on, I won’t talk about it again until he’s healed and proven right. Then we’ll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out.

Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka replaces Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler in UFC 303 main event

After announcing Whittaker vs. Aliskerov for Saudi Arabia, White was again put in the position of telling fans that a huge main event had been postponed on Thursday night. He shared a video from the UFC Las Vegas “War Room” in which he detailed their new International Fight Week headliner.

“Guys, here I am again,” he said, just hours after announcing Khamzat Chimaev’s withdrawal from UFC Saudi Arabia next week to be replaced by Aliskerov. “Conor McGregor is out of UFC 303 against Michael Chandler due to injury.

“The new main eventer is Alex Pereira; former not only UFC middleweight champion, but also the first and only fighter to win the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in UFC history. He did it in the shortest possible time, in 736 days and seven fights.

“He has finished seven of his nine victories by knockout, a success rate of 78%, and has won 10 of his last 11 fights. He faces former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka, who has an incredible 23 first-round wins.

UFC 303 also features a new co-main event as Brian Ortega takes on Diego Lopes. The co-main event was scheduled to be Carlos Ulberg against former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, but the American was forced out due to injury and Ulberg now faces veteran Anthony Smith on the undercard.

DISASTER: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is officially over as Dana White announces new UFC 303 main event

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