Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon must wait.

UFC introduced Thursday that his struggle in opposition to Michael Chandler will now not headline UFC 303 in Las Vegas on June 29 due to harm.

Mild heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will defend his belt in opposition to Jiri Prochazka within the new primary occasion, UFC CEO Dana White announced in a video on social media.

It could have been McGregor’s first bout since July 2021, when he misplaced by first-round TKO to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor broke the tibia in his left leg that evening, rendering him unable to compete additional. The harm required surgical procedure and months of restoration. 

McGregor, the previous featherweight and light-weight champion, boasts only one win — a first-round TKO of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 — in practically eight years. 

McGregor, a brash Irishman generally known as a lot for his charisma outdoors the cage as his ability set in it, is surely the largest famous person in blended martial arts historical past. He has headlined the 5 best-selling pay-per-view UFC occasions of all time, together with his matchup with Dagestani star Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, which drew 2.4 million purchases.

He additionally fought boxing legend Floyd Mayweather within the ring in August 2017. The spectacle generated 4.3 million PPVs — among the many most ever for a sporting occasion. 

Chandler, a former UFC light-weight title challenger and longtime Bellator champion, has not competed since November 2022, hoping to face McGregor. He’s 2-3 in 5 UFC fights however has acquired post-fight efficiency bonuses in 4 of these bouts. 

It’s unclear whether or not the matchup shall be rescheduled.