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The Ultimate Fighting Championship abruptly cancelled the press conference for the upcoming UFC 303 pay-per-view event, which is headlined by Conor McGregor's return fight, in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, on Monday (June 3), leading to rumors surrounding the polarizing former champion.
"Dear UFC Fans-- The #UFC303 press conference scheduled for Monday June 3rd in Dublin, Ireland at 3Arena has been postponed until further notice. We sincerely apologize to all the fans who were planning to attend. When we have further information on a new date and time, we will share it immediately. – Thank you," UFC wrote on its X account.
UFC president Dana White didn't mention any potential problems during Saturday's (June 1) UFC 302 event, which included a commercial promoting McGregor's upcoming Las Vegas fight against Michael Chandler, and was expected to attend the press conference in Dublin on Monday. Fans quickly blamed McGregor, 35, for the sudden cancelation after a video had previously gone viral showing him partying in a club just weeks ahead of his scheduled bout.
“This statement is unlike anything I’ve ever seen from the UFC before. I speculate a significant change is happening to the card, specifically the McGregor v Chandler fight. It’s the only fight that would warrant this type of reaction," wrote MMA writer Nick Lombardi on his X account.
"What did Conor McGregor do now️, just hours before? Lotta Irish fans gonna wake up pretty angry that thought they were going to this," another user wrote.
McGregor, the first UFC fighter in history to hold two weight class titles simultaneously and one of the biggest stars in the promotion's history, hasn't competed in a UFC fight since losing his second consecutive bout to Dustin Poirier in their trilogy of matches at UFC 264 in July 2021. The Irish fighter has a 22-6-0 career record as a professional fighter.