MMA awaits the return of Conor McGregor as he faces Michael Chandler after a three-year hiatus at UFC 303. But the fandom is equally anxious after rumors of fight cancellation started popping in the corner. And now, Chael Sonnen foresees major changes if ‘The Notorious’ doesn’t show up.
While neither the UFC nor the fighters themselves haven’t yet given anything credible to substantiate this rumor, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen believes that the promotion will have to go on damage control if the McGregor vs Chandler bout gets shelved.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Sonnen weighed in his thoughts, mentioning the consequences of such a fallout.
“Red Panty Night is real. There’s only one Conor McGregor… And if you were to replace him and keep the card intact, (it) simply means you keep Chandler in the main event. The only one you could do would be Max Holloway, 155 for the BMF belt “
However, Sonnen also believes that since the Holloway fight would be the only fight you could book, the UFC might end up pulling Chandler from the event completely.
“There are certain things that you could do to ease the blow, but make no mistake, there is only one Conor McGregor.”
Chael Sonnen talks about the outlook of a potential shakeup at UFC 303.
▶️ https://t.co/u5qXo6ugo0 #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/8ea4vM57Ff
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 12, 2024
The fact remains that the biggest draws for the company are still fights with McGregor at the helm, raking in millions. Furthermore, the former fighter also admitted that the ‘Mystic Mac’ was simply irreplaceable and implied that any attempt to do so would be hafhazard.
Chael Sonnen why UFC might just pull Chandler off UFC 303
At present there’s only one superstar that can break McGregor’s PPV records and that is the Irishman himself. Nobody in the company has the ability to captivate the community and bring in the fans as McGregor does.
Now, given Holloway’s KO of Justin Gaethje and Chandler’s penchant for running into punches, a fight between the two hard-hitting dogs would be a spectacle for sure. But will it have the same effect as a McGregor return? Will it have the same numbers? Unlikely.
As good as Holloway is, he simply doesn’t have the global appeal that has made McGregor a larger-than-life character.
Meanwhile, Sonnen also suggested that a slugfest between Ilia Topuria and Holloway or even maybe a bout between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya would be a spectacle but neither Izzy nor DDP are yet to confirm anything yet.
