Conor McGregor Leaves Gaping Hole at UFC 303–and Plenty of Mystery Regarding His Future
Extra Mustard is a weekly column looking at the highs and lows–and everything in between–in combat sports and beyond.
This past weekend, Conor McGregor gave an interview about his future.
McGregor discussed the injury to his toe, his desire to get in the cage once healthy, and how he could be ready to fight again by August or September.
— JustTheFights2 (@JustTheFights2) June 22, 2024
Oddly, it took place during a Bellator card–and not during one of the UFC’s events, even though the promotion held a nationally televised broadcast earlier in the day on ABC.
UFC CEO Dana White was asked about McGregor’s future in the Octagon, stating, “Our schedule is laid out, so we’ll see. I’m not doing anything until I know Conor is healthy. It’s not even worth talking about. What about September? What about October? He’s not ready, so why even talk about that?”
Dana White says their schedule is already laid out and he doesn’t know about making a new event for Conor McGregor this year
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 22, 2024
“I’m not doing anything until I know that Conor is healthy.”#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/u6oLSPeyP3
If anything, White’s comment highlights the uncertainty surrounding McGregor. White has made a living as one of the best promoters to ever grace combat sports, and he is wise not to build up a McGregor fight–presumably because one is not happening any time soon.
While the uncertainties pile up, the lone certainty with McGregor is that he will miss UFC 303. That card is now headlined by Alex Pereira against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch for the lightweight title. That is the same fight that headlined the Madison Square Garden card this past November, only taking the main event slot once Jon Jones was injured and could no longer compete against Stipe Miocic. Once again, Pereira and Prochazka are stepping in to fill the void, even though there is simply not as much hype around Pereira when he is not matched up against eternal rival Israel Adesanya.
White is smart not to announce a new fight date for McGregor. Once that happens, there is no turning back. He’s better off waiting to announce it until closer to a fight date; otherwise, the card is hamstrung entirely around McGregor.
With McGregor off 303, there is simply no way to replace him. And White does not want to let that happen again.
JUSTIN BARRASSO
Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.