By now, we've all heard the news that Conor McGregor is out of his fight vs Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. In a crazy week for the UFC, the promotion pivoted from a McGregor-Chandler headliner to a rematch for the light heavyweight championship between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira.
The new fight will certainly fend off the cravings of mixed martial arts enthusiasts, but fight fans will desperately await McGregor's eventual return. And, unfortunately, there will be even more gymnastics to get McGregor back into the cage in 2024. Just ask Jon Anik, the voice of the UFC.
"It's massively disappointing," Anik said in an interview with Odds Shark Thursday. "I feel like I wax more optimistic about Conor than a lot of my contemporaries. I expect him to compete in 2024."
Anik Predicts McGregor's Return
The UFC slate is booked through the end of the summer. Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad will headline UFC 304 in July, while Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis star in the UFC 305 main event in August.
Anik doesn't foresee McGregor at UFC 306 in the Las Vegas Sphere, either.
"The Sphere, don't need [McGregor] for that event, with all due respect," Anik said. "It's gonna be one of the biggest, baddest, most expensive live events in UFC history. And then all of a sudden, you start to look toward the latter half of the year."
So, what's left? Anik points to the possibility of McGregor headlining one of the UFC's events in the final quarter of 2024. That means Abu Dhabi (October), Madison Square Garden (November), or Las Vegas (December) are all on the table.
"I don't know if it'll be November or December," said Anik. "I do expect that we will have that [McGregor-Chandler] fight in 2024, even though a lot of my contemporaries have cast doubt upon that."
Thank goodness for Anik's optimism. Now, UFC fans can make the best of a bad situation and dream about the likes of McGregor and Jon Jones headlining a super-card at MSG later this year.
What McGregor's Injury Tells Us
Anik identified a silver lining in McGregor's decision to pull himself from the fight.
"I would agree with Henry Cejudo and others who suggest that this is really just a setback, and [McGregor's] withdrawal speaks more to a commitment to the comeback," Anik said. "I think the issue right now really is the calendar."
.@Jon_Anik still expects Conor McGregor to fight in 2024 pic.twitter.com/ewI2LPATOV
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) June 20, 2024
This is the right take. If McGregor wasn't taking this bout seriously, perhaps he'd consider struggling through what we now know is a lower-body injury simply to snag his payday. The decision to postpone also tells us how McGregor values his trajectory at the moment. It might seem like he's out drinking and partying, but the Irishman likely fancies one more title whiff. A win over Chandler gets him closer, and he takes it very seriously.
Building A Dream McGregor Card
Anik is right; the Sphere doesn't really need McGregor to be a crazy ticket draw, but how awesome would that be? One of the biggest combat sports stars in history headlining one of the most futuristic live events we've ever seen. Before I get too excited, though, it's hard to imagine McGregor getting a headlining spot over legit champions like Ilia Topuria, who seems ripe for a battle with Max Holloway.
Okay, how about Madison Square Garden in November? It would be promotional malpractice to stick Jon Jones and Conor McGregor on the same card, but, screw it. The McGregor fight needs to happen soon. McGregor and Chandler coached the Ultimate Fighter in early 2023, and now we're waiting until winter 2024. While the UFC is a calculated financial engine, MMA fans would die happy if the promotion scheduled Conor-Mike as the co-main to Jones vs Stipe Miocic.
And if that doesn't work (sigh), I guess McGregor and Chandler can headline the UFC's pay-per-view slot in December. It can be an early Christmas gift to the fans after nearly two years of raw patience.
