How Conor McGregor’s Team Convinced Him to Pull Out From UFC 303 Main Event Fight: Report

A recent report suggests how and why the team of former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor convinced him to pull out of the main event fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 after injury.

By Nayan Kumawat

Published on Jun 14, 2024 | 09:34 PM IST | 145.9K

Image Courtesy : Getty Images

Fight fans are deeply disheartened and disappointed with the news of a major shakeup in the UFC 303 card. Fans were highly anticipating the return of former two-division champion Conor McGregor after a layoff of almost three years. Mystic Mac was scheduled to face Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303.

There were rumors all over the internet about the potential cancellation of the main event match between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the rumor and revealed the unfortunate news of Conor McGregor pulling out of the main event due to injury. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is once again the savior and has accepted a short-notice championship defense against former light heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka.

Ariel Helwani was one of the initial reporters who confirmed that the fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler at UFC 303 was not happening as McGregor was potentially injured.

In a recent live session, Ariel Helwani addressed the issue related to Conor McGregor pulling out of the UFC 303 fight. Helwani revealed how McGregor’s team played a vital role in convincing Mystic Mac to pull out of the event and rehab from his leg injury.

Ariel Helwani revealed:

“The feeling amongst Conor’s team was, ‘Why are you (Conor McGregor) going to go in compromised? This fight is too big, you’ve waited too long, who knows how many are left, it’s a legacy fight, it’s an opportunity to get back on track, you may be one fight away from a potential title shot, you can’t have the pressure of the event on your shoulders.’”

Helwani further revealed there is a positive update regarding Conor McGregor's return. His injury is not that severe, and he can return in nearly two months. UFC could shift the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight to later this year, in August or September.

UFC 303 Updated Match Card

UFC 303 was one of the company's most anticipated events this year. The major reason behind the buzz and excitement was the return of the former two-division champion Conor McGregor after a long layoff of almost three and a half years.

Unfortunately, the event was almost scrapped after Conor McGregor pulled himself out of the main event due to injury, and Jamahal Hill pulled himself out due to a knee injury. The major twist affected the card significantly, and the company altered the UFC 303 pay-per-view.

Here is the new updated UFC 303 card, including the new main event for the UFC light heavyweight championship between champion Alex Pereira and former champion Jiří Procházka. Anthony Smith has replaced the injured Jamahal Hill, and another exciting featherweight bout, potentially for the number one contendership, has been added between Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega.

Match Card