Dana White announced on Thursday night that Conor McGregor will not be returning to the Octagon at UFC 303 due to an injury that will prevent him from competing in his bout against Michael Chandler.
Mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani reported early Thursday that there are all indications that McGregor will not compete in the main event and that it will be merely a “formality.”
“It’s not 100 percent off, but I would be very surprised if it remains at this point. They are in active negotiations with multiple camps to find a replacement,” Helwani said. Post to X“Everything is still up in the air, but they are proceeding as if they need a replacement at this point.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
(L-R) Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler face off during filming of The Ultimate Fighter at UFC Apex on March 3, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
McGregor posted to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday night hinting at a possible injury.
A press conference was also scheduled for June 3 in Dublin, Ireland, but was canceled just 12 hours before it was scheduled to begin.
It is unclear what kind of injury McGregor is suffering from.
With McGregor and Chandler unable to compete in the main event, White announced a co-main event matchup between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.
Conor McGregor’s UFC return appears to be canceled: ‘It’s just a formality at this point’
As White said, Pereira UFC History He became the first fighter in UFC history to win both the middleweight and light heavyweight title belts, and did so in the shortest time in history – just 736 days and seven fights.
Pereira has won 10 of his last 11 bouts.
Brazil’s Alex Pereira arrives for his middleweight bout against Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya at the UFC 281 mixed martial arts event in New York City early Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Prochazka is also a former light heavyweight champion and currently holds 23 first-round wins. His career record is 30-4-1 with 25 wins by knockout and three by submission for a finishing percentage of 97%.
Rounding out the co-main event will be #3-ranked featherweight Brian Ortega, who holds the second-most finishes in featherweight history and the second-most submissions in the division. Ortega is 16-3 in his UFC career with eight submissions.
He will go head to head with Diego Lopez, who has finished 22 of his 24 victories by knockout, 10 of his opponents and forced 12 to submit, giving him a career record of 24 wins and 6 losses.
Conor McGregor attends Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat at the Caseya Center on June 9, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Click here to get the FOX News app
So McGregor’s hiatus from UFC will continue, but White is scheduled to host a show in Las Vegas on June 29.
Follow Fox News Digital X’s sports coverage,subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
