Conor McGregor pulls out of UFC 303 fight with Michael Chandler with injury

UFC president Dana White confirmed fears held by fight fans, putting a major spanner in the works for the promotion’s next main event.

Conor McGregor will not be stepping into the Octagon against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in Las Vegas.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the bombshell news today that McGregor has had to pull out due to injury, marking the first time in McGregor’s illustrious UFC career that he has withdrawn from a fight for any reason.

In place of McGregor vs. Chandler, the main event will now feature a light heavyweight title bout between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka.

Before being struck down with an injury, the Irishman had promised fans that his return to the Octagon would mark the beginning of the “Greatest Comeback in Sports History”.

Despite the changes, the event is still poised to be a blockbuster. According to White, the sold-out event is expected to set a UFC record with a live gate exceeding $20 million. It remains unconfirmed whether the highly anticipated nontitle welterweight bout between McGregor and Chandler will be rescheduled.

McGregor, now 35, was on the brink of making his comeback after suffering a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The former featherweight and lightweight champion has only fought four times since his world-shattering boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, with a record of 1-3 in those bouts, including two losses to Poirier and a submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a 2018 title fight.

The cancellation of the June fight adds another chapter to the ongoing saga between McGregor and Chandler.

Conor McGregor will not be stepping into the Octagon against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas.

Dustin Poirier battles Michael Chandler during their Lightweight fight at UFC 281.

Chandler, a former Bellator MMA champion, began calling out McGregor back in 2022. The UFC later announced the two would coach against each other on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in early 2023, which proceeded as planned that spring.

“McGregor vs. Chandler will be re-booked later this year,” MMA journalist Ariel Helwani wrote on X.

“The fight has been pushed because McGregor suffered an injury right before last week’s press conference in Dublin.

“Everyone involved – the UFC, McGregor, Paradigm – did everything in their power to save this. It didn’t look good initially, then it didn’t, then it did and finally it didn’t. The plug was officially pulled a little less than 48 hours ago.

“There weren’t a ton of options. Pereira x Prochazka was always a top choice, feelers were sent last week, but there were hurdles: mainly, Pereira is in Australia on a seminar tour and is getting over a couple broken toes. But he stepped up. Again. Prochazka was in right away.”

Complicating matters was McGregor’s status with the UFC’s former drug testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA claimed McGregor’s situation contributed to the end of its partnership with the UFC, alleging the promotion sought to exempt McGregor from a six-month testing requirement following his leg injury.

The Irishman promised on Twitter that his return to the Octagon would mark the beginning of the ‘Greatest Comeback in Sports History’.

The UFC had scheduled a public news conference with McGregor and Chandler on June 3 at Dublin’s 3Arena, but cancelled it just 12 hours before the event, fuelling speculation about the fight’s status.

He has shown some interest in potential fights against Nate Diaz, who is currently not signed to the UFC, or BMF titleholder Max Holloway.

Additionally, White announced two new bouts for the card: Diego Lopes will face Brian Ortega in the co-main event, and Carlos Ulberg will take on Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight clash, after Jamahal Hill, originally scheduled for the co-main event, withdrew due to injury.

Originally published as Conor McGregor pulls out of UFC 303 fight with Michael Chandler with injury