After the mud cleared contained in the T-Cell Area following the explosive UFC 300 occasion in Las Vegas, Nevada, Final Preventing Championship (UFC) CEO, Dana White, continued to set off fireworks with a number of battle bulletins backstage.
Amongst them was a Light-weight title battle between division king, Islam Makhachev, and former interim title holder, Dustin Poirier, which can headline UFC 302 on June 1, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. However the battle announcement the world has been ready for was the long-awaited collision between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, which was made official for UFC 303 on June 29 in “Sin Metropolis.”
It’s a battle that had been teased for almost 9 months, with one delay after one other irritating battle followers and McGregor himself. So what was the holdup? In response to White, McGregor merely had an excessive amount of on his plate to decide to his long-awaited return, and forcing him again earlier than he was prepared would’ve been disastrous.
“It’s not that we’ve been engaged on it for ages, it’s that there are a number of issues that go on behind the scenes. It’s all about timing. Chandler has been prepared however Conor wasn’t prepared,” mentioned White in the course of the post-fight press convention (video replay right here).
“Conor had a number of obligations that he needed to take care of, and what you don’t need him doing is accepting a battle when he’s received a ton of obligations and he can’t prepare 100-percent for a battle. So right here we’re tonight.”
Throughout his off time, McGregor had been busy selling his appearing debut within the remake of “Street Home,” which has to date had large success streaming on Prime Video. And, let’s not overlook the truth that “Infamous” is a enterprise man outdoors of the cage, so he at all times has a number of obligations shifting him in several instructions.
So far as McGregor’s well being goes — particularly getting back from a nasty leg break — White feels that the fiery Irishman will be capable to carry out simply in addition to he had prior to now… so long as he wins the psychological side of all of it.
“If you take a look at that damage, it’s occurred in UFC, Chris Weidman got here again from that damage and Anderson Silva got here again from that damage and you’ve got seen it in soccer,” defined White.
“It’s most likely one of many nastiest accidents you may get. You see guys with damaged arms on a regular basis and stuff like that occurs. However us as people cannot wrap our head round having that bone breaking. It’s only a nasty damage and it’s a tough restoration, too.”
McGregor suffered the leg break in his trilogy battle in opposition to Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021 and has labored laborious in the course of the rehab course of to be again at full energy. However as White talked about, the damage wasn’t a part of his delay over the previous few months, and for anybody who feels McGregor was merely being tough in negotiations, White says it’s the furthest factor from the reality.
“It’s by no means laborious with Conor. I’ve mentioned it on a regular basis, Conor has at all times been an excellent companion. He’s straightforward to take care of and we’re again. Conor has at all times been straightforward to take care of. He’s a sensible dude,” expressed White earlier than proclaiming his greatest money-maker of all time a UFC companion for all times.
“Conor is a die-hard UFC man and shall be till he retires and past,” he concluded.
Now that the return of the king is official, the fight sports activities world will wait to see in somewhat over two months if “Infamous” can return to his previous dominant methods coming off an damage and such a prolonged layoff. That mentioned, McGregor hadn’t been precisely lighting it up contained in the Octagon since turning into “champ-champ” in 2016, going simply 1-3 in that span.
Nonetheless, the previous Featherweight and Light-weight champion is adamant he has not taken a lot injury contained in the cage, and of he will get via a tricky opponent in Chandler it might imply “Infamous” overload.
For far more on the McGregor vs. Chandler rivalry click on right here.
