Conor McGregor is famous for showing up on fight day no matter what, but he wanted to ensure he was 100% healthy for his long-awaited return to the Octagon.
In a social media post, the Irish star revealed that he was forced to pull out of his UFC 303 main event bout against Michael Chandler at short notice due to a broken toe.
“This is so tough to take because we were so damn prepared for this fight,” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “I want a new Bugatti! How can I justify getting it now instead of betting on the fight. I lost focus, trained in full gear, stubbed my toe on my elbow, broke my toe cleanly. It’ll be a few weeks, that’s it. I couldn’t justify to my team or fans why I was disrupting my steps again. That step was seen.”
“My next fight should be 100% Conor McGregor. The fans deserve it and we’re getting close. A little lapse in concentration and a nasty injury. That’s it. Lessons learned and I move on. I’ll bring this back, I have to. I’ve got two fights left on my contract. I’m thinking about the Bugattis and the yachts. I’m trying to shine. I’ve got to take it slow because there’s still the yachts and the Bentleys and the mansions and stuff. You know me, but you know me. I’ll be back. See you soon. See you at the top, with or without Chandler.”
McGregor said he only needs “a few weeks” to return to full health, but there was no indication from UFC as to if or when the fight with Chandler might be rescheduled. The former two-division champion himself did not guarantee Chandler would be rescheduled, saying “Chandler or not,” but McGregor defended Chandler’s decision to wait to fight UFC’s biggest star.
“Chandler [10 times] “It’s exactly the same as my other fight contracts,” McGregor wrote to X. “That means I need to fight 10 fights to make what I’m making in this fight. I’m the champion.”
“People say he could have fought. [two] or [three] Now it takes 10 to break even. [check]. “
Chandler is making 10 times what he’s contracted to make in other fights, which means he’d need 10 fights to make what he’s making in this fight. I’m the best.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA)
June 21, 2024
McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. His last MMA win was at UFC 246 in January 2020, when he knocked out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds.
UFC 303 takes place on June 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will feature a light heavyweight title rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka as the main event.
