'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Conor McGregor's return to the UFC is currently "in limbo" according to one of the sport's leading journalists, Ariel Helwani. The Irishman is scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29, and as of now, it is unclear whether the fight will go ahead.
A press conference was scheduled in Dublin, Ireland, for June 3 as part of the pre-fight promotion. But the event was canceled on June 2, with no specific reason provided by the UFC as to why.
The radio silence from both 'The Notorious' and UFC CEO Dana White has led to speculation about the fight being off. But Chandler's teammate, Gilbert Burns, believes that the Irishman has taken a page out of Ryan Garcia's book.
Trending
Garcia, who faced Devin Haney in the boxing ring in April, displayed some incredibly concerning behavior in the lead up to the fight. But after handing Haney his first career defeat, 'KingRy' claimed that his controversial behavior was a tactic used to make his opponent think that he wasn't taking the fight seriously.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The Irishman has also been captured partying over the past few months, and during a recent podcast with Renato Moicano, Burns said this:
"I know for sure he's pulling that card. You know what card he's pulling? [The] Ryan Garcia card. 100%."
Watch Gilbert Burns discuss Conor McGregor below (19:30):
Ariel Helwani shares lack of optimism surrounding Conor McGregor's return
UFC 303 is set to take place on June 29, also known as UFC International Fight Week, one of the promotion's biggest annual events.
The expectation was that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler would headline this year's event. However, as fight night draws closer, the fight appears less and less likely to be happening.
The lack of any update, positive or negative, has led fans' minds to wander about the likely reasons for the fight's potential cancellation.
Ariel Helwani shared an update that won't sit well with fans, as the host of The MMA Hour said this:
"No one involved in particular from the UFC side and from the McGregor camp are speaking about this publicly... I found out via multiple sources that they are reaching out to people again [for replacements]. They are reaching out to managers. They are reaching out to fighters... The positivity that I talked about exactly one week ago today is nowhere to be found. This fight is very much in limbo."
Watch Ariel Helwani's update on Conor McGregor below:
