A few days ago, speculation ran rampant that Michael Chandler’s much-anticipated return at UFC 309 was in jeopardy. After the ‘Would they? Would they not?’ situation that went between him and Conor McGregor post the Irishman’s withdrawal from UFC 303, fans were undoubtedly excited about his fight against Charles Oliveira. However, with only a few days until the fight, the internet was abuzz with news that ‘Do Bronx’ would be pulling out of the fight.

But what if we tell you that it won’t be Charles Oliveria but Michael Chandler who could pull out of the fight? Well, that is exactly what it looks like after a recent picture went viral on the internet. In a recent Reddit post, a user by the name of @messi304 shared a screenshot from UFC 309 Embedded Episode 2. At exactly the 3 minute, 6 second mark, fans can see a red spot on Michael Chandler’s right elbow. And this surely made fans panic since it looks a lot like a staph infection.

The user wrote in the caption, “Michael Chandler Staph infection on right elbow, 4 days before UFC 309.” This surely made many wonder if the fight is going to be canceled, since UFC fans are not new to this gnarly infection.

It is a known fact by now that MMA fighters are more likely to have staph infections due to regular skin contact, shared equipment, and the sport’s physical character. Training conditions that allow sweat and germs to stay on mats and gear increase the risk of getting the infection.

This Reddit post isn’t the first time that the infection made news in the realm of UFC. Chandler’s previous rival, Dustin Poirier, too, revealed his staph infection to the world just days after defeating ‘Iron.’ Taking to his Twitter, Poirier shared a picture of his left foot while providing an update to his fans that it was his second day at the hospital and he has a staph infection on his left foot. So when fans saw that Chandler too might have the same, they were quick to share their reactions.

UFC fans contemplate the ramifications of the viral image of Michael Chandler

As soon as the post hit Reddit, fans were quick to share their thoughts on it. While some fans were concerned, many were quick to start making fun of the UFC fighter’s infection. Many wrote that this infection could prove to be a new move in his arsenal: “Brb putting the house on chandler via staph blood pus squirt to the eye.” and “+15 poison damage.”

Some other users believed that fighting with the infection would truly be a lost cause for Chandler. Staph infections are truly some of the most painful feelings and getting hit there while maintaining composure will surely take its toll. “Bro already has a Dog IQ in the octagon without staph; with it, he’s gonna gas in 30 seconds after he does a backflip reverse spinning thunder that makes him land on bottom and he gets TKOd instantly,” and “No way he wins with that.”

But not everyone was convinced that it was a gnarly infection. Some other users were quick to pen down their belief that it must be something else instead. One user felt it was an ant bite, “Is just a harvester ant bite. Is normal,” another user felt that it must be because of streptococcus instead. “You sure it’s not Streptococcus? Or maybe Staphylococcus epidermitis? You run a coagulase test to confirm it’s Staphylococcus aureus? You know if it was grown on Chrome agar?” More users were affirmative that Michael Chandler is fine and social media is panicking for no reason at all. As one user wrote, “I’ll believe his shirt. Says he’s 10x healthy.” But what do you think? Will the UFC 309 fight be able to take place between Chandler and Oliveira? Let us know in the comments.