Michael Chandler appeared to leave his training camp ahead of his showdown with Conor McGregor, casting huge doubt over their fight.
Chandler posted a cryptic message on Instagram hinting that he was heading home to Tennessee despite UFC 303 being less than four weeks away.
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The pair are due to go head-to-head in the main event in Las Vegas on June 29.
McGregor has not been in the Octagon for three years and his comeback has been long awaited, meanwhile Chandler has been out of action since November 2022.
Fears started growing about the status of the fight when the UFC cancelled a scheduled press conference in Ireland on Monday just hours before it was due to begin.
McGregor released a statement on social media saying it was cancelled due to a ‘series of obstacles outside of our control’.
Read more on Conor McGregor
Journalist Ariel Helwani then reported that the UFC had been sounding out possible replacements for the fight.
He wrote: “The hope is still that the fight is on. There is positivity, I’d say. But they have sent out feelers to see who might be able to fill in, either as a replacement or an entirely new fight at the top of the bill. Still developing, and still some time.”
Overnight on Tuesday, Chandler dropped the biggest hint yet that the fight was not going to take place.
He wrote on Instagram: “If you’re looking for me, I’ll be out in Tennessee. No way out of the life we chose… Walk On.
“See you at the top!”
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Chandler had been in his fight camp in Florida, but appears to be leaving that camp to head home.
No official word has been given by the UFC, or McGregor himself, that the fight has been cancelled.