Morning Report: Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe Conor McGregor’s injury: ‘He’s known about it for over a year’

Conor McGregor’s return will have to wait.

No matter how often obstacles seem to be overcome, the MMA gods can never be tested without repercussions. The long-running saga between “The Notorious” and his expected returning opponent, Michael Chandler, hit a snag due to injury after coming closer than ever.

McGregor, 35, called his return fight at UFC 303 scheduled for June 29 the greatest comeback of all time. That’s where he went wrong as the match was officially delayed last week with no new date decided. The lead-up to the announcement of said change has been a whirlwind of silent chaos. The nature of this entire ordeal leads Chael Sonnen to doubt the authenticity of McGregor’s reasoning.

“McGregor is not injured,” Sonnen said. Good guy/bad guy. “I don’t know if we’re making TV or if we’re supposed to be playing the game. Conor McGregor isn’t injured and it’s a very difficult situation when people speaking on his behalf don’t want to cover him because the truth always comes out.

The rumored clash will be the first between McGregor and Chandler in over a year, but the Irishman hasn’t fought since his decisive TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Alongside of Chandler, McGregor coached season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) last year before the couple doesn’t traditionally fight at the end of the season.

“It’s a bit of a tricky situation,” Sonnen said. “I’m disappointed. I don’t want to give Conor a hard time, and I’m all for health first, but he’s known 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 film, front to back, top to bottom. One thing McGregor always does is what McGregor wants to do.

Coincidentally, Sonnen (47), retired for almost 50 years, has now officially fought more recently than McGregor, ending his five-year hiatus last weekend with an exhibition boxing trilogy bout against his rival Anderson Silva. The two men battled to a majority draw in Brazil.

Nonetheless, there appears to be no concrete timetable for McGregor’s return, which continues to leave Chandler in the lurch. He’s waited so long for his desired “red panty party”, but is this the moment you should 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 no one to pass on to. It’s not about saying, “Okay, I had this great option and I had this great option.” ” Not really. Chandler is a big star, people want to see him fight but he doesn’t have anyone even remotely close to the drama and steam of Conor McGregor. So, I’m all for Chandler continuing from the beginning. At this point I say wait a little longer.

“Do we see that in 2024? No chance.”

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I will. Dana White doesn’t know when Khamzat Chimaev will return: ‘Every time he gets close to the fight, he gets really sick’

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

Answers. Mailbag: Will Conor McGregor Fight Again? And more from the UFC 303 change

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

Understanding. Rampage Jackson Claims Conor McGregor Isn’t Fighting: ‘He Don’t Need This Shit’

Secrets. Dana White won’t talk about Conor McGregor’s next fight until his injury is healed

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

Plans. U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up Forrest Molinari declares intention to move from wrestling to MMA

Loss. Melsik Baghdasaryan withdraws from UFC Saudi Arabia due to injury

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

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MMA time.

UFC Saudi Arabia Promo.

UFC Day Off: Leon Edwards.

Full struggle.

PFL Fight Week.

The Pereira camp.

Final training of Khasan Magomedsharipov.

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On to the next one. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alex K. Lee discuss what matches are coming up after UFC Vegas 93.

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Go to Twitter, use the hashtag #MorningReport or find one of my tweets with it and send me a jam you’re currently excited about. I will choose the best one in addition to my daily choice and salute you! You can also share the comments below – these are sometimes harder to navigate!

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Update.

Absorbed.

Spiders.

Close.

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Felipe Lima (12-1) vs. Mohammed 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, August 17

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

Johnny Eblen (15-0) against. Fabien Edwards (13-3); Bellator London, September 14

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The handling of this entire saga has been unique, to say the least. I still don’t know where I stand on the scale of truth, but once McGregor decides to talk more, whenever that is, that will tell us a lot.

Thanks for reading!

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Last week’s results:

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

THURSDAY: 60% of the 398 total votes answered “No” to the question “Will Jake Paul fight before Mike Tyson?” »

Wednesday: 509 total votes answered “Israel Adesanya” to the question: “Who will Dricus du Plessis fight first?”

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

Monday: 76% of the 316 total votes answered “Yes” to the question “Did Jared Cannonier vs. Nassourdine Imavov stop early?” » Imavov defeated Cannonier via TKO (punches) in the fourth round at 1:34 in the main event of UFC Louisville.

Today’s exit poll:

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