Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler in jeopardy? A timeline of events

It felt like it took forever for UFC president Dana White to officially announce the main event of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler for UFC 303. When that finally happened it felt like smooth sailing ... but boy were we wrong. In the final weeks heading into UFC International Fight Week all hell broke loose and rumors were swirling that the biggest fight of the year might be in jeopardy. Here's everything we've gathered in order to help you piece together the series of events.

June 3

UFC 303 Dublin press conference cancelation

This is really what triggered everything. The UFC was set to host a pre-UFC 303 press conference in Dublin, Ireland on Monday, June 3, but it was aburptly canceled without any explaination. You know MMA fans, if they have something to speculate on, they will.

“The #UFC303 press conference scheduled for Monday June 3rd in Dublin, Ireland at 3Arena has been postponed until further notice,” the UFC said in a statement. “We sincerely apologize to all the fans who were planning to attend.  When we have further information on a new date and time, we will share it immediately. – Thank you.”

Conor McGregor issues a statement

McGregor also issued an apology but gave no indication of the the reason for the last-minute call-off.

Michael Chandler's bizarre social media posts

After the presser was called off Michael Chandler began posting cryptic quotes including one from Martin Luther King Jr which said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King Jr. #UFC303

Ariel Helwani reports 'nothing nefarious' amiss with presser cancelation

Hewani got on the air to discuss what he'd heard in regards to the cancelation. He listed a series of things that it was not related to but mysteriously (or purposely) left out an injury. This is where the "McGregor is injured" rumors really began.

June 4

Michael Chandler heads home, stops using UFC 303 hashtag

Prior to the 4th, Chandler was hashtaging UFC 303 in every post. For days he stopped using it and even revealed he was leaving camp and heading back hom to Tennesse. This was one of the biggest news bites to lead toward a cancelation.

Fans also started noticing that the UFC had removed UFC 303 promos from it's YouTube channel and it was no longer an option to pre-buy on ESPN+. Things were looking really bad.

Ariel Helwai says the UFC is looking for replacements

The same day Helwani updated fans revealing that fighters had begun getting reached out to about filling in as the main event at UFC 303.

June 5

Ariel Helwani provides positive update on Conor McGregor fight

This started to look up again when Helwani revealed a positive update about the fight. “The vibes on Sunday were quite confused. The vibes on Monday were quite pessimistic, and there was anxiety,” Helwani said. “… I can tell you as of last night and as of today – this morning, early afternoon, it’s currently 1:10 p.m. ET – I can tell you there is great positivity that this fight is going forward.”

Shortly after, McGregor posted a photo of himself on a doctor's exam table with a full smile. The caption was simply a flexing emoji and nothing else. Still, it seems a step in the right direction.

June 7

The UFC shares a UFC 303 promo video

On June 7 the promo for the fight went back up online. There were also several advertisements during the UFC Louisville broadcast the following night. We were all breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Chandler also appeared on a podcast and said the fight was still a go.

June 11

Another update and back to uncertainty

Unfortunately the good news was short lived. Helwani provided andother update and revealed that the UFC was still reaching out to fighters for a replacement or a back-up opponent.

“In short, there seems to pessimism all over again regarding the status of the 303 main event,” Helwani wrote. “Actually even more pessimism – it seems – than on Monday last week after the presser was cancelled at the last minute.”

June 12

'In great limbo

Things are downgrading fast. Helwani's latest update was the worst one yet. Fans are bracing for an announcement we all don't want to hear. This was also heightened when late Wednesday night McGregor shared an old clip of him talking about injuries with a broken heart emoji. He's all but confirmed everyone's suspicions.

We'll bring all the updates as they come on this huge maybe.