The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Conor McGregor and his fans. ‘The Notorious’ was all set to return to the Octagon on June 29 after having been away since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in 2021. However, the first signs of trouble came with the announcement that the Dublin pre-fight press conference was abruptly canceled. This led to rampant speculation about the UFC 303 fight facing the same fate and the nightmare scenario for ‘The Notorious’ fans became a reality when UFC CEO Dana White announced on social media that McGregor is now out of the fight because of an injury.

At the UFC St. Louis press conference last month, the UFC boss had revealed that the highly anticipated event already crossed the $20 million gate. But with the Irishman now out of the bout, a UFC insider has come out to reveal the staggering record Conor McGregor would have broken had he stepped into the cage later this month. 

Conor McGregor may have missed out on the chance to break his own record

On a recent episode of the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show, Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier discussed Conor McGregor’s shocking pull-out from UFC 303. Sonnen brought up the fact that “…that little $23 million gate that you hear about, it’s not sold out. That thing was going to come in at closer to $27 million when it was done. Which beats Conor’s own record, his own record is currently the Madison Square Garden Gate when he went opposite Eddie Alvarez at 17.4 million. He was going to beat his own number one record by 80 percent.”

This statement highlights the magnitude of what McGregor’s presence at UFC 303 could have meant financially and underscored McGregor’s unparalleled drawing power in the sport. In fact, in a list of the top 10 highest UFC event gates, ‘The Notorious’ holds the top spot with his fight against Eddie Alvarez from 2016.

The second spot also belongs to Conor McGregor as his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in 2018 secured a staggering $17,188,895. While UFC 300 holds the number 3 spot with its stacked line-up of incredible fights, the number 4 spot features McGregor yet again!

The Irish MMA icon’s last appearance inside the Octagon secured $15,759,800 and while nobody could have predicted the horrific ending to the Poirier vs McGregor fight, it does highlight the fact that UFC 303 could have overshadowed all these numbers as claimed by Chael Sonnen.

In conclusion, Conor McGregor’s withdrawal from UFC 303 is a significant blow, not only to his fans but also to the UFC’s financial prospects as his presence promised to elevate the event to historic heights. As the UFC fandom looks ahead, the question remains whether McGregor will return to reclaim his position as the top draw in the company. According to Dana White, it’s hard to tell!

Dana White reveals the strange situation with McGregor’s comeback

The entire MMA sphere is waiting to hear more about the fate of Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler’s canceled bout. While there was speculation about the fight being re-scheduled for later this year, in his interview on ‘The Jim Rome Show’, UFC boss Dana White made a startling confession about the chances of ‘The Notorious’ stepping back inside the Octagon.

White stated, “Conor McGregor. Maybe he’ll fight again. Maybe he won’t. You never know with some of the guys that get to that level. You never know if you’re ever going to see them again.” His remarks were prefaced by providing context on the situation regarding McGregor’s age and his significant income away from the world of fighting.

In the end, the entire MMA world has once again been left playing the waiting game for updates about Conor McGregor’s return to competition. His ability to draw eyes to the sport is unparalleled, however, as White pointed out, predicting McGregor’s next move is challenging, to say the least. As such, the MMA fandom remains in suspense, hoping for a definitive answer about McGregor’s future in the sport.

Do you think Conor McGregor will be able to make his comeback in 2024? Share your thoughts in the comments below.