Will Conor McGregor finally step into the cage at UFC 303? That seems to be the question the MMA sphere has been dealing with ever since news broke about the cancellation of the Dublin press conference. Scheduled to take place on June 3, MMA fans and enthusiasts alike were left reeling when the UFC announced the cancellation of the event just hours before its start time.

Since then, there have been multiple plot twists in the story with many prominent voices in the MMA world raising concerns about the possibility of the fight being canceled. But according to Gilbert Burns, the fight is still on and he’s provided an interesting perspective on ‘The Notorious’s antics during this time of speculation!

‘Durinho’ calls out Conor McGregor for “bluffing” as UFC 303 drama takes over the MMA world

Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Gilbert Burns, the no.6 ranked welterweight in the UFC broke down the drama surrounding Conor McGregor and his fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. ‘Durinho’ stated, “These guys, they already canceled the press-conference. The press-conference is supposed to be like two weeks ago, and the press conference got crazy.”

As of now, there have been no statements by the UFC or Conor McGregor to clear the rumors surrounding the press conference cancellation. Despite an apology statement from the promotion and the Irishman, the fans are still wondering about the reason behind the highly anticipated Dublin event being nixed.

According to Burns, “I think, my opinion, Conor McGregor is pulling up the Ryan Garcia card, you know, trying to act a little bit crazy. We saw a picture, this guy in the hospital. I do think if he had any type of injury and he was in the hospital, for sure the guy is not going to post, not going to do any post that he’s in the hospital hanging out.”

The “Ryan Garcia card” that ‘Durinho’ mentioned is a reference to the boxer’s erratic behavior during the build-up to his clash against Devin Haney on April 20. Garcia had been making questionable posts on social media and at the pre-fight press conference, he raised eyebrows when he made a barely coherent rant against his opponent.

As such, Burns further stated, “I think he’s bluffing, I think he’s good, the fight’s going to happen and just making people overthinking, maybe play with the odds like Ryan Garcia did but I think the fight’s happening.” It remains to be seen if Burns is right in his assessment as recently, a veteran MMA journalist shared an update on social media that has indicated that the UFC 303 main event may still be up in the air!

Ariel Helwani indicates that the UFC 303 main event is still in jeopardy 

In a concerning post shared on X, Ariel Helwani has sent shockwaves through the MMA world with his revelation of the current status of UFC 303 and Conor McGregor’s comeback. Helwani shared, “But since this morning, multiple sources are now saying feelers are being sent out again for June 29. For a replacement and/or new fight(s). In short, there seems to pessimism all over again regarding the status of the 303 main event.”

He further went on to question if the “feelers” for backup/replacement fighters are a way for the promotion to ensure that the event goes according to the original plan. Helwani ended the post with an indication that “…it doesn’t appear as though we are out of the woods either way just yet.”

As such, while Gilbert Burns has offered some reassurance for the fandom, Helwani’s update suggests that all is not well with ‘The Notorious’s return to competition. Whether McGregor’s return becomes reality or dashes the fandom’s dreams, one thing is clear: the anticipation and intrigue surrounding UFC 303 is showing no signs of slowing down! Do you agree with Gilbert Burns’s assertions that the UFC 303 drama is all a ploy by Conor McGregor? Share your thoughts in the comments below!