Conor McGregor’s comeback fight against Michael Chandler is off.
The Irishman was booked for a highly-anticipated return to the octagon on June 29 as a headliner at UFC 303.
But McGregor, who has not fought since breaking his leg in July 2021, has been forced to withdraw from the event due to an injury.
“Conor McGregor is out of UFC 303 with an injury,” UFC president Dana White said on X. “It has been a crazy week here at UFC.”
UFC 303 will still go ahead, with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira stepping in to face Jiri Prochazka as the new main event, while Chandler will no longer be participating.
White did not give any more details on McGregor’s injury and there is currently no timeline for the 35-year-old’s recovery.
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It follows weeks of speculation about McGregor’s health, which started when a press conference in Dublin was cancelled earlier this month.
‘Notorious’, who has two fights remaining on his UFC deal, has already seen his return pushed back a number of times since losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
Chandler was plotting a comeback of his own, having not fought since a defeat to Poirier in 2022.
The 38-year-old has been biding his time to fight McGregor in what would be the biggest pay day of his career.
McGregor was the UFC’s first-ever dual-weight champion but has not tasted victory in four-and-a-half years.
His win over Donald Cerrone in January 2020 is his only victory since 2016.
Organising a rematch between popular stars Pereira and Prochazka is a small consolation for the UFC.
It is understood the leading MMA organisation were frantically making calls to keep UFC 303 alive after learning of McGregor’s injury.
White also announced a new co-main event which will see featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes face off on short notice.