Conor McGregor is officially out of his UFC 303 comeback bout against Michael Chandler on June 29. Almost after a week of speculation that started when the press conference in the Irishman’s hometown of Dublin was abruptly called off, the UFC announced that the former champion suffered an injury, forcing him to withdraw from the card.

Now the card will see the light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira rematch Jiri Prochazka after their electric UFC 295 title clash last year. While this may have come as a heartbreak to UFC fans, who were eagerly waiting for the sport’s biggest-ever star to return to action after three years, former champion Henry Cejudo thinks the news is a ‘really good sign’.

Henry Cejudo finds silver lining in Conor McGregor’s withdrawal

Speaking to co-host and fellow former champion Kamaru Usman on their ‘Pound 4 Pound Podcast’, Cejudo was in remarkably good spirits about Conor McGregor is out. Because it was expected to see ‘Mac’s return to action, UFC 303 had become the highest-grossing gate event in UFC history, showing how much the UFC world was looking to see the mega-star fight again. But Cejudo has found a silver lining even in this gloomy news.

“McGregor has to pull out, that’s actually a really good sign, you know. What I’m saying, what I mean by that is he’s probably killing a little bit of his ego, and now he’s taking it a lot more serious than ever. So it’s also an experience for him. So the way that I’m taking it too Kamaru, is like they’re going to fight, I think he’s at that point where I want to make sure that I’m 100%. Like this comeback to me is real,” he said.

The former Olympics gold medallist felt that this cancellation at least showed that the Irishman was taking his comeback bout very seriously. McGregor, except for UFC 303, has never pulled out of a fight in the UFC. The Irishman has even fought with injury, as he did against Chad Mendes back in 2015, fighting with one healthy leg instead of pulling out and letting his fans down.

Hence, the withdrawal, according to Cejudo, meant that ‘Notorious’ wanted to ensure he was in tip-top shape and firing on all cylinders before making his much-awaited comeback. In good news for Michael Chandler, who has virtually put his career for the past two years waiting for ‘Mac’, ‘Triple C’ felt sure that McGregor-Chandler will eventually happen. And McGregor took to social media for the first time since the cancellation, echoing similar sentiments as ‘Triple C’.

Chandler’s fate is uncertain as McGregor promises to be back

Conor McGregor took to social media one day after it was officially announced that Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 will replace him and Chandler on UFC 303. The former two-division champion revealed that he had gotten injured prior to the June 3 press conference and he wasn’t expected to be healthy before the fateful night of June 29, ruling him out of the bout.

“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout. I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team. My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there! Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!” McGregor wrote.

The Irishman, however, laid to rest any speculations he may be done for good, claiming he was in good spirits despite the setback, and promising he would be back better than ever soon. Another sign Chandler will find encouraging, even as his future remains uncertain at the moment. A lot can change between now and whenever McGregor is healthy enough to fight again. However, chances are, the former Bellator champion will find himself fighting the sport’s biggest superstar by the end of the year.

The UFC has stuck with Chandler throughout the whole McGregor ordeal, which has been going on since last year, and is likely to stick with him for however many more months before ‘Mac’ is healthy. Iron confirmed in a recent interview with Ryan Clark that he had received assurances from the highest levels of the UFC that he would be Conor McGregor’s first fight on the Dubliner’s return.