Conor McGregor branded 'unreliable' with retirement talked up after Michael Chandler fight postponed
Conor McGregor's fight with Michael Chandler has been postponed
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Fans have taken aim at Conor McGregor and expressed fears he may never fight again after his battle with Michael Chandler was postponed.
The Irishman hasn't fought in UFC since losing to Dustin Poirier back in July 2021.
McGregor had been due to return to the Octagon on June 29 in Las Vegas. However, Dana White has now confirmed he's had to delay his return due to 'injury'.
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka will now headline the event instead, with the former hoping to retain his light-heavyweight title.
Conor McGregor's fight with Michael Chandler has been postponed
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Fans are disappointed that McGregor's return to UFC has been delayed, however.
And many feel the 35-year-old will never fight again, three years on from his defeat to Poirier.
"Conor is unreliable, who even cares about that fight anymore. I rather see Chandler fight someone else," were the words of one X user.
A second said: "Zero chance Conor ever fights again and everyone knowws that."
A third stated: "Notorious is washed and I like the dude but time to hang it up."
Another opined: "Unfortunate. I doubt we'll ever see Conor in the ring again."
A fifth said: "Yeah I don't think we will see Conor back in the ring to be honest."
And a sixth stated: "This is why I don't buy any PPVs anymore. McGregor should focus on making booze and movies."
Many other fans are happy that Pereira and Prochazka will be headlining the main event, despite McGregor's withdrawal.
And whether the UFC icon ever fights again remains to be seen, with his clash with Chandler likely to take place in September.
Meanwhile, speaking before it was confirmed McGregor's return to UFC had been pushed back, former MMA star Chael Sonnen expressed a belief the Irishman would retire if the fight didn't go ahead as planned.
Speaking earlier this week, he said: “If Conor McGregor doesn’t show up for this, I’m here to let you know any idea you have that he’s still fighting or he’s still in the business or he wasn’t feeling good and they’re doing it another day, or he and Chandler are going to be somewhere down the road – I’m here to let you know now, if you’re told that by anybody, you have been given bad information.
“If McGregor does not show up on June 29 and fight Michael Chandler at 170 pounds, it is the exact same as announcing Conor McGregor’s retirement from the sport.”
During his absence from UFC, McGregor has turned to acting.
He recently appeared in Road House, which has earned positive reviews.
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Conor McGregor had been due to face Michael Chandler on June 29
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And McGregor admitted he enjoyed himself while on set, saying: "It was an awful amount of fun.
"It was my first time doing it and I had this amazing cast to guide and direct me and assist me and they just told me to turn the crazy down a notch, and that’s what I did."
He also hailed co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, adding: "You did an amazing job Jake, because I know what you were up against. "Because the UFC fans, if it’s not real or not true, they will not be behind it.
"So that was my addition to it, to make sure it held true.
"I walked alongside him and he did the UFC, Swayze and all of us proud.
Conor McGregor hasn't fought in UFC since losing to Dustin Poirier in 2021
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"When Dalton’s asleep in the car and he has that daydream and he’s in the octagon, for me that’s when the movie lights up.
"It was worth its weight in gold. The director Doug Liman was phenomenal, he made us all believe, me included, that I was better than I was and that gave me the confidence to express myself even more."