What is happening with Conor McGregor v Michael Chandler? Radio silence from UFC as presser is axed

With the presser axed, the internet went into meltdown as MMA fans were left pondering the possible reasons for the cancellation.

McGregor and Chandler are set to go head-to-head on July 29, though the current status of the proposed bout appears doubtful with little information coming out from either camp and the UFC itself.

McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021 when he suffered an injury against Dustin Poirier.

In fact, since his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018, the Irishman has only made three other appearances in the UFC octagon.

McGregor has never pulled out of a scheduled UFC fight and it’s unlikely he would’ve voluntarily done so on this occasion.

An injury is not out of the question, with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani tweeting: “The hope is still that the fight is on. There is positivity, I'd say.

“But they have 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. Still developing, and still some time.”

Former mixed martial arts star Chael Sonnen believes there could be a positive reason behind the cancellation of the press conference, with McGregor stepping up his focus on the fight.

Speaking on the Good Guy/ Bad Guy podcast, he said: “I think perhaps Conor McGregor for the first time ever is starting to focus. People love to use that word, they talk about focus, I don’t know if people know what that means.

“It means you say ‘no’ a lot more than you used to. You’re looking at one thing and you’re telling people ‘no’ when you’re getting these calls.

“Don’t forget, as we’re looking at the clues, there’s one more big one, which is Conor did not just cancel the Ireland press conference, he cancelled all media that’s already been agreed to leading up to this contest, which makes me think, quite possibly, our Irish star is starting to focus.”

That, however, would go against McGregor’s recent social media activity which has raised doubts over his commitment to the bout.

Just a few days before the proposed presser, McGregor shared footage of himself dancing and partying alongside his Forged Irish Stout models in Dublin.

What’s more, Chandler recently announced on Instagram that he has returned home to Nashville Tennessee, sparking further fight cancellation rumours.