Conor McGregor will no longer fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 due to injury. The new main event is a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and JiYí Procházka.
McGregor was scheduled to headline the event but has withdrawn because of injury. It's the first time in McGregor's storied UFC career he's pulled out of a fight for any reason.According to White, the sellout event was on pace to set a record for the UFC, with a live gate of more than $20 million. The UFC has not announced whether the non-title welterweight bout between McGregor and Chandler will be rescheduled.
McGregor, 35, was set to return to competition for the first time since he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss toin July 2021. The former featherweight and lightweight champion has only fought four times since a blockbuster boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. The June fight being called off is a disappointing chapter in what's become something of a saga between McGregor and Chandler. Chandler, a former champion in Bellator MMA, first called out McGregor in earnest in 2022. The UFC announced the two would coach against each other on"The Ultimate Fighter" reality series in early 2023, which went ahead as scheduled that spring. A fight date did not come together until early 2024, however, for various reasons.
The UFC's former drug testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency , claimed McGregor's situation led to the dissolution of its UFC program, as the promotion wanted to grant McGregor an exemption of a six-month testing requirement following his leg injury. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell denied that assertion and demanded a public apology.
Chandler, 38, has not fought since a back-and-forth loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022. He has only expressed a passing interest in potential bouts against
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