Ex-UFC star believes Conor McGregor has angered UFC and will never fight there again after UFC 303 saga: "I'd say he is done"

A former multi-promotional MMA champion believes Conor McGregor won't fight at a high level again if he doesn't step up against Michael Chandler at UFC 303.

In an interview with Daniel Cormier, Ben Askren opined that the Irishman has angered the UFC brass with all the uncertainties surrounding his comeback.

Earlier this month, the UFC 303 press conference scheduled for Ireland was canceled in the hours leading up to it. McGregor later apologized to his fans on social media for the last-minute cancellation but seemingly assured them the fight would still take place.

However, McGregor vs. Chandler has now been officially scrapped from UFC 303 owing to an injury on the Dubliner's side. The exact nature of the injury is yet to be made public.

The remade main event of the pay-per-view will feature light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and former champion Jiri Prochazka.

Talking to 'DC' about McGregor vs. Chandler, before the cancellation, Askren speculated:

"I've been saying it's the end. He's probably going to use the tactic where he is like...saying he is going to come back because that does keep people interested. To your point that fame or that attraction, it is a little bit like a drug... So I think maybe he'll keep throwing that out there. Maybe he'd accept a celebrity boxing match or something. Who knows if [the] UFC lets him. They are probably pissed at him after this one, so they'll probably say like no, or attempt to say no. So yeah, I'd say he's done with serious fighting."

Catch Ben Askren's comments on Conor McGregor below (17:26):

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Ariel Helwani speculates new date for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler

It seems like all hope is not lost and fans might yet get to see Conor McGregor take on Michael Chandler, albeit at a later date.

In a recent post on X, the veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani speculated that the world's premier MMA promotion is hoping to reschedule the much sought-after fight for August or September.

According to Helwani, McGregor's mystery injury was the reason the press conference had to be canceled. The 41-year-old further claimed that all parties involved tried to salvage the event before ultimately deciding to scrap it earlier this week.