Conor McGregor is out of UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler due to injury | MMA UFC

McGregor is injured and will not face Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena, UFC President Dana White announced on social media late Thursday.

The sport's biggest star was expected to compete for the first time since July 2021, but his return will have to wait.

There is optimism that the fight could be rescheduled for later this year, but speculation about whether McGregor will ever fight again is growing the longer he stays away from the sport.

The 35-year-old former two-division champion has battled injuries, a foray into boxing and a starring role in the reboot of “Road House.” McGregor has fought just four times in the UFC since 2016, winning just once in that time.

This wasn't the only dramatic change to the map.

White also announced that light heavyweight contender Jamahal Hill will not take part in the co-main event against Carlos Ulberg due to injury. Ulberg will now fight Anthony Smith.

A light heavyweight title rematch between champion Alex Pereira and former champion Jiri Prochazka will now be the main event of the event, which is the culmination of the organization's annual International Fight Week festivities. Pereira won the belt in November by knockout over Prochazka, who had previously vacated the title due to injury.

Featherweights Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will also face each other on the card in a fight announced on Thursday and will serve as co-main event.

Also on Thursday, White announced that rising middleweight star Khamzat Chimaev was “seriously ill” and would not be able to face former champion Robert Whittaker in the UFC's main event on ABC in Saudi Arabia on June 22.

Ikram Aliskerov has been ruled out of his upcoming fight and will replace Chimaev in the fight against Whittaker.

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