The Conor McGregor comeback will have to wait.

No matter how often hurdles appear cleared, the MMA Gods can never be tested without repercussions. The long-lasting saga between “The Notorious” and his expected return opponent Michael Chandler hit a snag thanks to injury after getting closer than ever.

McGregor, 35, had labeled his UFC 303 return bout scheduled for June 29 as the greatest comeback of all time. That's where he went wrong as the matchup was officially delayed last week with no new date decided. The build-up to the announcement of said change was a whirlwind of silent chaos. The nature of the whole ordeal has Chael Sonnen doubting the authenticity of McGregor’s reasoning.

“McGregor’s not hurt,” Sonnen said on Good Guy / Bad Guy. “I don’t know if we’re making TV or supposed to play along. Conor McGregor is not injured and it’s a very tough spot when the people that come out speaking for him, they don’t want to cover because the truth always comes out”

The supposed eventual clash will be McGregor and Chandler’s first in over one year, but the Irishman, he hasn’t fought since his leg-breaking TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Alongside Chandler, McGregor coached season 31 of The Ulitmate Fighter (TUF) last year before the pair didn’t traditionally fight at the season’s conclusion.

“It’s a little bit of a tricky situation,” Sonnen said. “I am disappointed. I don’t want to give Conor a hard time, and I am for the idea that health comes first, but he’s known about this for over a year. They were supposed to fight in June of last year.

“Now we are here. There was USADA talking, they were going to make a movie, back-and-forth, up and down. One thing that McGregor always does is what McGregor wants to do.”

Coincidentally, the retired near-50-year-old Sonnen (47) has now officially fought more recently than McGregor, ending his five-year hiatus this past weekend with an exhibition boxing trilogy bout against rival, Anderson Silva. The pair battled to a majority draw in Brazil.

Nonetheless, there appears to be no concrete timing on McGregor’s return, which continues to leave Chandler hanging out to dry. He’s waited this long for his desired “red-panty night,” but is this when you have to let it go?

“If I’m Michael Chandler, there’s a situation where I have to move on,” Sonnen said. “The difference with Chandler is there’s nobody to move on to. It’s not a matter of, ‘Okay, I got this great option and I got this great option.’ Not really. Chandler’s a big star, people want to see him fight but he doesn’t have anyone even remotely close to having the drama and steam of Conor McGregor. So, I’ve been for Chandler moving on from the beginning. At this point, I say wait just a little bit longer.

“Do we see this in 2024? Not a chance.”

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TOP STORIES

Ill. Dana White unsure when Khamzat Chimaev returns: ‘Every time he gets close to fighting, he gets really sick’

Patience. Michael Chandler reacts to Conor McGregor fight cancellation: ‘I am emboldened by this test’

Answers. Mailbag: Will Conor McGregor ever fight again? Plus more from the UFC 303 change-up

Replacement. Bo Nickal explains why he couldn’t accept Robert Whittaker fight offer at UFC Saudi Arabia

Understanding. Rampage Jackson supports Conor McGregor not fighting: ‘He don’t need that sh*t’

Secrets. Dana White ‘not going to talk about’ next Conor McGregor fight until injury healed

Recovery. Alex Perez awaits MRI after nasty UFC Vegas 93 injury, unsure of return timetable

Plans. U.S. Olympic trial runner-up Forrest Molinari declares plans to transition from wrestling to MMA

Loss. Melsik Baghdasaryan out of UFC Saudi Arabia due to injury

Backlash. Anthony Smith explains why fighters are so ‘sensitive’ when it comes to criticism

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LET’S WATCH

The MMA Hour.

UFC Saudi Arabia Promo.

UFC Day Off: Leon Edwards.

Full fight.

PFL Fight Week.

Pereira’s camp.

Khasan Magomedsharipov’s final training.

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LISTEN UP

On To the Next One. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alex K. Lee discuss matches to make after UFC Vegas 93.

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MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

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SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

Update.

Absorbed.

Spiders.

Close.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Felipe Lima (12-1) vs. Muhammad Naimov (11-2); UFC Saudi Arabia, June 22

MarQuel Mederos (9-1) vs. Nazim Sadykhov (9-1-1); UFC Denver, July 13

Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) vs. Israel Adesanya (24-3); UFC 305, Aug. 17

José Medina (11-3) vs. Zachary Reese (7-1); UFC Fight Night, Aug. 24

Johnny Eblen (15-0) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-3); Bellator London, Sept. 14

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FINAL THOUGHTS

The handling of this whole saga has been unique, to be it mildly. I’m still not so sure where I fall on the truth scale, but once McGregor decides to speak up more, whenever that is, will tell us plenty.

Thanks for reading!

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POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 46% of 373 total votes answered “Better” when asked, “Do you like the new updated version of UFC 303 better or worse than the original?”

Thursday: 60% of 398 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will Jake Paul have a fight before Mike Tyson?”

Wednesday: 509 total votes answered “Israel Adesanya” when asked, “Who will Dricus du Plessis fight first?”

Tuesday: 66% of 267 total votes answered “Tatsuro Taira” when asked, “Who wins this weekend?” Taira defeated Alex Perez via second-round TKO (knee injury) at 2:59 in UFC Vegas 93’s main event.

Monday: 76% of 316 total votes answered “Yes” when asked, “Was Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov stopped early?” Imavov defeated Cannonier via fourth-round TKO (punches) at 1:34 in UFC Louisville’s main event.

Today’s exit poll:

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