The UFC Has “Sent Out Feelers” For UFC 303 Replacements
The UFC 303 main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler is in jeopardy. The promotion canceled the UFC 303 press conference leading to serious speculation about the fight being off. UFC reporter Ariel Helwani provided an update that the UFC has “sent out feelers” for a potential.
“No news at the moment,” Helwani said on X. “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.”
The concern for UFC 303 is that McGregor is dealing with an injury. That has not been confirmed, but it is the working assumption. This comes after Helwani clarified that it was not an out-of-sports issue.
The potential of McGregor pulling out would be disastrous for the UFC. This would leave the promotion scrambling for a new UFC 303 main event. Currently, the card is not strong enough to be a UFC pay-per-view event without McGregor. If that wasn’t enough, the event is also scheduled for International Fight Week. That makes it difficult for the UFC to outright cancel the event.
The UFC has begun sending out feelers for potential replacements for the UFC 303 main event. That includes fighters who could fill in for McGregor as well as completely new matches.
This list of fighters that could headline a UFC pay-per-view on short notice is short. The only logical replacement for McGregor would be newly crowned BMF Champion Max Holloway. A Chandler and Holloway matchup for the BMF Title could headline a pay-per-view. Otherwise, the promotion would need to find a champion willing to defend their belt on a month’s notice. The most plausible name for that would be Alex Pereira. Sean O’Malley and Ilia Topuira are also unbooked.
If McGregor pulls out of UFC 303, the UFC will be in a tough position. It will not be easy to completely find a new main event on four weeks’ notice. That said, there is still hope that McGregor will be able to make the walk on July 29.
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