McGregor says he will return to the UFC octagon after he recovers from an injury
Conor McGregor prepares to fight Dustin Poirier in a UFC 264 lightweight mixed martial arts bout July 10, 2021, in Las Vegas. McGregor will not compete in UFC 303 on Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. He has indicated he is injured. Credit: AP/John Locher
LAS VEGAS — In his first public comments since pulling out of UFC 303 on Thursday because of an undisclosed injury, Conor McGregor called it a postponement rather than a cancellation of his fight with Michael Chandler that had been scheduled for later this month.
McGregor said Saturday that he was injured shortly before his scheduled June 3 news conference in Dublin. The news conference was abruptly canceled, creating speculation that McGregor might not fight in the June 29 bout in Las Vegas.
“The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team,” McGregor posted on X. “My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there! Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!”
Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will face top-ranked challenger Jiri Prochazka in the main event in place of the McGregor-Chandler match.
There also was a change with the co-main event. An injury forced light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill to drop out, and Carlos Ulberg will face replacement Anthony Smith.
