WATCH | Conor McGregor releases sparring footage days after mysterious UFC 303 press conference cancelation

Conor McGregor is still training despite a lot of mystery around his UFC 303 return.

‘The Notorious’ hasn’t competed since a first-round stoppage loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After years of waiting, delayed returns, and the release of ‘Road House’, Conor McGregor is now set to return. Later this month, the former two-weight world champion will face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in Las Vegas.

The first press conference for the event was set to go down this Monday in Dublin. However, just hours before the press event, it was mysteriously canceled. No reason was given for the postponement, and fans began to wonder if the bout was off. Later, Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC was reaching out to other fighters, seemingly indicating that Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler was in danger.

However, it seems that all the worrying was for nothing. In recent days, Conor McGregor has taken to social media to release photos of himself in good spirits. Furthermore, the aforementioned Helwani later stated that the bout is still set to go ahead. Earlier today, ‘The Notorious’ offered more optimism in the form of several training clips posted to social media.

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Conor McGregor releases training footage days after UFC press conference cancelation

While it’s not clear when the training clips were filmed, they’re interesting nonetheless. In the videos, Conor McGregor does seem quite fluid and in good spirits. That combined with the recent news from Helwani about UFC 303, will likely give fans some piece of mind regarding the event.

Regardless, Conor McGregor’s fight against Michael Chandler is a massively important one for both men. While ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t competed since 2021, ‘Iron’ is on a lengthy hiatus as well. Chandler last competed in November 2022, suffering a third-round submission loss to Dustin Poirier.

Following that defeat, the former Bellator lightweight champion got the chance to coach against Conor McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter. A year removed from that season, the two are finally set to collide in the main event of UFC 303 later this month.

What do you make of these training clips from the former UFC champion? Do you believe Conor McGregor will defeat Michael Chandler in his return later this month?