Report: Conor McGregor vs. Chandler Fight Has 'Great Optimism' Still for UFC 303

Despite speculation from earlier this week that Conor McGregor's return to the Octagon at UFC 303 on June 29 against Michael Chandler was in jeopardy, it sounds like fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported on Wednesday's episode of The MMA Hour that there is "great positivity" and "great optimism" that the McGregor vs. Chandler fight will go on as scheduled.

The last-minute cancellation of a press conference scheduled for Monday in Dublin, Ireland, ignited rumors that McGregor and Chandler won't be facing each other in their highly-anticipated matchup. Helwani reported on Tuesday that the UFC "sent out feelers to see who might be able to fill in, either as a replacement or an entirely new fight at the top of the bill" in the event that the fight would be canceled.

McGregor hasn't fought in nearly three years, last suffering a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021 when he broke his leg during the fight. He also made his feature film debut as the main antagonist of Road House, which was released earlier this year.

Chandler has been waiting to fight McGregor since the two of them filmed a season of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition series together last year. After months of rumors, they finally locked down a fight date for June 29, which falls during the UFC's annual International Fight Week.

Despite being away from the Octagon for so long, McGregor remains the biggest star in MMA. The UFC and its fans are certainly hoping that he will be ready to fight later this month, but they should be comforted by Wednesday's news and the fact that McGregor has never pulled out of a fight due to injury in his career.