The UFC was to witness the return of probably its biggest star, Conor McGregor at UFC 303. The 35-year-old was all set to take on Michael Chandler in the 170-pound division. But all the buzz was in vain as the main event suffered a massive setback after the Dubliner pulled out at the last minute because of an injury.

McGregor was already in the news after he called off his press conference in Dublin on June 3. Most fans predicted that something was already wrong. Nevertheless, it now seems that the fans were right and while speaking to Daniel Cormier, Brett Okamoto also shared his opinion on the whole.

UFC insider feels Conor McGregor suffered an injury before his press conference

The news of Conor McGregor pulling out of the fight has taken the MMA world by storm. Most MMA experts are now questioning his fitness leading up to the fight. Talking about experts former UFC champion Daniel Cormier also brought up the topic on his ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy ‘ podcast. He invited Anthony Smith and Brett Okamoto and analyzed why there was this delay in calling off the fight. ‘DC’ was quick to bring Okamoto into the spotlight and asked him how he felt about the whole. Okamoto said, “It’s probably a nightmare but for the rest of us it’s kind of very interesting how’s it’s all unfolding”.

There are very few instances in his career where McGregor has pulled out of a fight because of an injury. However, according to Okamoto, the Dubliner was already injured when he called off the press conference. While speaking to ‘DC’, he further added, “You know they had this press conference Conor McGregor suffered the injury from what I was told very much right up to that press conference. He gets injured they cancel the press conference but they’re thinking that the injury is not so severe he’s got a few weeks. “

Looking at McGregor’s record, the UFC was hopeful that he would make it in time before calling the fight off. However, as time went by, the promotion finally realized that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Also, it is tough to prepare for a fight in such a short period. Now with everything done, the UFC finally decided to call off the event as revealed by Okamoto.

No one expected the Dubliner to pull out of the fight. McGregor uploaded videos of him training on social media after the fans speculated about him hiding an injury. What forced him to call off his fight? Ariel Helwani feels it was his team who might have decided on his behalf.

Conor McGregor’s team decided to pull out of the fight reveals journalist

Conor McGregor suffered a horrendous leg injury when he fought the last time inside the Octagon. It now seems that his team didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. According to the combat journalist, McGregor has never walked out of a fight in his career. He said, “He never pulled out of that fight”. However, this time, it was his team who forced him to reconsider his situation. The 35-year-old has always been keen on making a return. But it seems his team wants him to be fully fit in order to avoid any serious injuries again.

Helwani on his YouTube channel further added, “He was injured going into the last Poirier fight and so what happened? [His] leg snapped, and he hasn’t fought since… so the feeling amongst his team was, ‘Why are you gonna go and compromise? The fight is too big, you’ve waited too long… it’s a legacy fight… maybe one fight away from a potential title shot. You can’t have the pressure of the event on your shoulders,’”. Conor McGregor pulling out of the event is definitely a nightmare for most fans. However, one can only hope that he returns from his injury as soon as possible.

When do you think Conor McGregor will make a return inside the Octagon? Let us know in the comments below.