Conor McGregor contemplated RETIREMENT after latest injury but is now more determined than ever to return... and believes he has a 'handful of big-money fights left in him'
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The injury that forced Conor McGregor to back out of his fight against Michael Chandler in UFC 303 was so serious that the Irishman considered calling it a career.
It was announced yesterday that McGregor was officially ruled out of a planned return to the octagon at the end of this month.
Sources told DailyMail.com that the injuries were so severe that they 'had him contemplate retirement.'
'But ultimately,' the source says, 'having to withdraw has lit a spectacular fire under his ass and he is more determined than ever to fight again this year and to reschedule his match with Chandler this fall.
'Conor has been more injured than he would like to reveal but his ego made him think he would be able to pull it off and fight later this month.
An injury forcing Conor McGregor out of a fight led to the Irishman considering retirement
McGregor backed out from the fight just weeks after he was seen out partying in Dublin
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'But alas, smarter heads prevailed when reality set in and as we got closer, Conor decided to get 100% healthy instead so he could have a couple more fights over the years over losing it all in a few weeks.'
It wasn't just McGregor that was debating calling it a career. Many of his fans wondered if the Dublin native would ever fight again after yet another setback preventing a possible return.
'Conor has a handful of big money fights left in him,' a source says.
'So to protect his future in the financial department, it was best for him to call off the fight, so when he does come back, it will be a huge deal and he believes that there will be tremendous amount of momentum towards watching him once again as he gets back into the Octagon.'
The news of McGregor's injury was revealed by UFC chief Dana White on Instagram late on Thursday night, as he posted a video to reveal the new schedule for this month's UFC 303 card in Las Vegas.
Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka will now headline the event, facing off on Saturday June 29 - and the news will come to a huge blow to McGregor's legions of fans who had planned a trip to Sin City in two weeks' time.
At the end of May, McGregor raised eyebrows when clips were shared of a wild night out at his Black Forge Inn pub, just six weeks out from his planned big fight night.
McGregor has not fought since UFC 264 all the way back on July 10, 2021 in a fight that he lost to Dustin Poirier due to a doctor stoppage.