Midnight Mania: BMF Holloway Vs. Chandler? ‘The Show Must Go On!’ Even With Missing Mac

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

A low of eyebrows raised when the pre-fight press conference planned for Dublin, Ireland was postponed at the very last-second. Immediately, speculation and concern about Conor McGregor and his expected comeback performance rose, and a vague public statement from the Irish superstar did little to assuage concerns.

Theories from drug use to issues with the law rose quickly, but the current rumor and speculation inside the industry is that McGregor suffered a minor injury. There’s only a few weeks until the UFC 303 card, so what happens if McGregor isn’t able to recover and perform?

According to Chael Sonnen, McGregor will be there, because it’s part of his fighter’s code to show up no matter what. However, if McGregor is unable to attend, Sonnen expects UFC to turn to Max Holloway to save the day and put his BMF title on the line against Michael Chandler.

“A man will live his life by a code, and that code might not be in line with standard societal policies or even laws, but he will adhere to that code at all costs. One of Conor’s codes is the show must go on! When he was broken in half his last fight, and Joe said, ‘I don’t interview injured guys, we got to get you on a stretcher,’ Conor called him over and pulled him down to the mat. Joe sat down to do that interview, why? Because we’ve yet to fade to black and roll the credits, and the show must go on.

I happened to be with Conor McGregor when Jose Aldo pulled out and Chad Mendes got stuck in. We’re on the campus of ESPN doing some media. I was there when Conor took the call and couldn’t have possibly cared any less of the opponent change because the show must go on! I just don’t believe that a month in advance — whether it’s illness or injury or any other excuse — that Conor is gonna be the one to pull. It would change the code that he must, as a human being, fiercely adhere to.

But I will tell you this: there will be no postponement of this fight. They either fight on the 29th or we move on. Oh, and by the way, the show is still gonna happen. I believe Conor is gonna be opposite Michael Chandler, I’m very confident in telling you that. However, if he’s not, Michael Chandler vs. Max Holloway for the BMF is the fight to book.”

There’s still a lot of unknowns regarding McGregor’s situation and why he canceled the media obligations. His preparation for UFC 303 could be going perfectly! If something is up, however, it would be hard to ask for a better replacement for a marquee fight than Max Holloway.

Stay tuned for further updates to UFC 303 and the Conor McGregor situation.

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— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 3, 2024