Michael Chandler opens up on canceled Conor McGregor press conference - "Woke up with my phone buzzing"
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are scheduled to fight in the octagon at UFC 303 on June 29, a highly anticipated event. However, the pair were set to appear in Ireland for a press conference on June 3, which was canceled at the last minute, creating speculation that the fight was no longer happening.
'Iron' refrained from commenting on the canceled press conference, which added fuel to the fire surrounding speculation that the fight had been called off. However, Chandler has now opened up on how the incident, and maintained that the fight was still going ahead.
The No.6 ranked lightweight contender recently appeared on The Pivot Podcast, where he said this:
"I woke up to my phone buzzing. It was Hunter Campbell - everybody knows Dana White's the face [of the UFC] but Hunter Campbell is kinda the guy behind the guy... He called me like, 'It's looking like this thing isn't going to happen.' I laid there and thought about it for quite a while. The next morning we got on a call and he said, 'It's not happening.'"
He continued:
"A canceled presser, not that big of a deal, right? It happens. But it's the layers in which, okay, if there's a presser canceled - is there something else wrong? Is there something else going on? Immediately speculation starts going all over the place, in 2024 social media and all that."
Watch Michael Chandler's interview below (3:20):
Michael Chandler envisions a chaotic start to his clash with Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are set to collide on June 29, as the pair will headline the much anticipated UFC International Fight Week event.
Whilst the recent cancelation of their press conference created much concern about the fight going ahead or not, 'Iron' has remained steadfast about his clash with McGregor.
During his recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Chandler shared an exciting preview for their bout. With both fighters known for energetic opening rounds, the American believes that Round 1 of their clash will be a spectacle for as long as it lasts.
He said this:
"He is historically always a very exciting, explosive guy, right out of the gate. I'm historically, not even historically, I promise you I'll be explosive and run toward the center of that octagon on June 29, right when the fight starts and you're going to see two guys who are going to get into a head-on collision car crash in the middle of T-Mobile Arena." [59:00-59:20 in Michael Chandler's aforemetioned interview]