Midnight Mania: BMF Holloway Vs. Chandler? ‘The Show Must Go On!’ Even With Missing Mac

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A low of eyebrows raised when the pre-fight press conference planned for Dublin, Ireland was postponed at the very last-second. Immediately, speculation and concern about Conor McGregor and his expected comeback performance rose, and a vague public statement from the Irish superstar did little to assuage concerns.

Theories from drug use to issues with the law rose quickly, but the current rumor and speculation inside the industry is that McGregor suffered a minor injury. There’s only a few weeks until the UFC 303 card, so what happens if McGregor isn’t able to recover and perform?

According to Chael Sonnen, McGregor will be there, because it’s part of his fighter’s code to show up no matter what. However, if McGregor is unable to attend, Sonnen expects UFC to turn to Max Holloway to save the day and put his BMF title on the line against Michael Chandler.

“A man will live his life by a code, and that code might not be in line with standard societal policies or even laws, but he will adhere to that code at all costs. One of Conor’s codes is the show must go on! When he was broken in half his last fight, and Joe said, ‘I don’t interview injured guys, we got to get you on a stretcher,’ Conor called him over and pulled him down to the mat. Joe sat down to do that interview, why? Because we’ve yet to fade to black and roll the credits, and the show must go on.

I happened to be with Conor McGregor when Jose Aldo pulled out and Chad Mendes got stuck in. We’re on the campus of ESPN doing some media. I was there when Conor took the call and couldn’t have possibly cared any less of the opponent change because the show must go on! I just don’t believe that a month in advance — whether it’s illness or injury or any other excuse — that Conor is gonna be the one to pull. It would change the code that he must, as a human being, fiercely adhere to.

But I will tell you this: there will be no postponement of this fight. They either fight on the 29th or we move on. Oh, and by the way, the show is still gonna happen. I believe Conor is gonna be opposite Michael Chandler, I’m very confident in telling you that. However, if he’s not, Michael Chandler vs. Max Holloway for the BMF is the fight to book.”

There’s still a lot of unknowns regarding McGregor’s situation and why he canceled the media obligations. His preparation for UFC 303 could be going perfectly! If something is up, however, it would be hard to ask for a better replacement for a marquee fight than Max Holloway.

Stay tuned for further updates to UFC 303 and the Conor McGregor situation.

Insomnia

Maybe I’m reading into this a bit, but it feels like Islam Makhachev would be more willing to cross paths with Belal Muhammad than the opposite.

Elite kickboxers working their close distance offense in a controlled fashion:

Guram Kutateladze finally has an opponent and return date booked.

A demonstration on why the top rule in wrestling is not to wrestle from your knees! Knees can touch for a second, but then it’s time to build back up to good posture.

Jailton Almeida vs. Ciryl Gane is so clearly the fight to book.

Here’s wishing Marlon Moraes the best in his next chapter!

Chris Curtis would certainly test whether or not Paulo Costa still has that dog in him — book it!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

If you need a regional Heavyweight fight to end via knockout (one way or another), ex-UFC Middleweight Alex Nicholson is the guy to call.

Stepped hard into the cross and it landed flush:

This is the level of aggression and opportunism it takes to capitalize as a big underdog.

Random Land

If you haven’t seen it, go watch Godzilla Minus One. It’s awesome!

Midnight Music: Soul, 1966

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.