Following Conor McGregor’s 11th-hour pullout off of UFC 303, Ariel Helwani has predicted that the Irishman might face challenges related to the scheduling of the event featuring his return.
While fans still eagerly await the return of the ‘Notorious’, Helwani’s prediction comes as a shocker. But one may also choose to question it since this particular prediction by Helwani involved little to no reporting but a whole lot of math.
Deducing that the already-planned UFC PPVs, the MMA Hour host claimed that the UFC would be incapable of featuring the first-ever double champ’s comeback as it won’t make sense to just fit him anywhere.
A look at the UFC’s official website will reveal that the authorities have already selected the dates of 28 July for UFC 304 and 18 August for UFC 305.
So it’s unlikely that these venues would even feature McGregor’s return, given that the cards have all been decided. But why is the rest of the card a problem?
Well, since a Conor McGregor fight is likely to break all records, Dana White and the UFC would want to give fans their money’s worth and that often means having a stacked card, ultimately main evented by the ‘Mystic Mac’ himself. So UFC 304 and 305 are out of the contest right there.
But Helwani’s update also revealed that putting McGregor on the cards of the following two UFC PPVs (UFC 306 and UFC 307) won’t be a bright idea either.
The 41-year-old revealed that the UFC 306 was still in jeopardy as Dana White and Co. aren’t happy with its pre-scheduled venue, The Sphere.
And while UFC 307 would take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, Helwani believes that having McGregor on that card “makes no sense”. So the UFC might have to create a new PPV altogether!
“He can lil b [bro]. Issue is there may not be an available date. They don’t want the sphere (wish they did). Perth makes no sense, neither does Utah. So they’ll have to either create a new PPV date or really push it, which both camps desperately don’t want.”
He can lil b. Issue is there may not be an available date. They don’t want the sphere (wish they did). Perth makes no sense, neither does Utah. So they’ll have to either create a new PPV date or really push it, which both camps desperately don’t want. https://t.co/n8DOaYDCS4
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 15, 2024
Both the camps of McGregor and Chandler have been looking forward to this fight for more than a year now, especially the American. Chandler wants the McGregor money fight instead of going for a title.
It will set him up for life after retirement and given the kind of wars he’s been a part of, nobody can question his motivations. However, speaking of motivations, UFC veteran, Daniel Cormier isn’t too sure about the Irishman.
Following the cancellation of the McGregor fight, he had advised Chandler to not waste any more time on it and move on. And if Helwani is right, Chandler might not have a choice.
Chandler may move on from McGregor if Ariel Helwani’s predictions materialize
Given McGregor’s $200M net worth, it’s evident that Michael Chandler wants the fight much more than him. Needless to say, this gives the former lightweight champion a serious upper hand, in matters of deciding terms of the fight.
This is why several UFC personas, including Daniel Cormier, have advised him to waste no more time on this encounter and move on to fight other contenders.
To date, Chandler has showcased incredible patience, waiting for McGregor since early 2023.
But if Helwani’s predictions materialize, he might opt to follow what ‘DC’ and several others advised him. Even Cormier’s ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ podcast partner, Chael Sonnen, had suggested a matchup for Chandler.
But only time can tell if McGregor ever return to active fighting and take on Michael Chandler in the biggest fight of the latter’s career.
