Conor McGregor OUT of UFC 303, Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka set as new UFC 303 headliner!

The highly anticipated matchup between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will no longer take place at UFC 303, paving the way for a new main event for the June pay-per-view.

Initially set as the headliner, the bout between McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has been eagerly awaited since they coached opposing teams on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2023. However, McGregor sustained an injury, leading to the cancellation of the fight. As a result, the new main event will feature Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Prochazka for the light heavyweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 29. The McGregor vs. Chandler fight is expected to be rescheduled later this year.

The cancellation came after McGregor suffered an injury just before last week’s press conference in Dublin. Despite efforts from the UFC, McGregor, and Paradigm to salvage the event, the decision to withdraw was made official less than 48 hours ago.

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the lineup change in a social media announcement on Thursday.

The new UFC 303 main event will be a light heavyweight championship rematch, with Alex Pereira defending his title against former champion Jiří Prochazka. Their first encounter at UFC 295 in November ended with Pereira securing a second-round TKO, a decision Prochazka contested as premature.

McGregor’s return has been highly anticipated since his last appearance in 2021 at UFC 264, where he suffered a broken leg in a trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. After being sidelined for nearly three years, his bout with Chandler was marred by continuous delays. Chandler last fought in November 2022 at UFC 281 against Poirier, marking his third loss in the promotion. His decision to await the McGregor fight faced criticism due to his inactivity, having only five fights since joining the UFC in 2021.

Chandler expressed frustration over the delays in scheduling the fight with McGregor but remained motivated throughout the wait. Despite his vow to “make him pay” for the delays, the opportunity to face McGregor will have to wait.

Dana White also revealed additional matchups for UFC 303, featuring a stacked card that includes:

• Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Prochazka – for the light heavyweight title
• Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
• Anthony Smith vs. Carlos Ulberg
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
• Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer
• Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
• Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
• Vinicius Oliveira vs. Ricky Simon
• Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
• Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Payton Talbott
• Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
• Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya

Stay tuned for more updates on UFC 303 and the rescheduling of McGregor vs. Chandler.