Before opting to completely scrap Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler from UFC 303, the promotion scrambled to find a replacement opponent for the former Bellator champion.
On Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that McGregor was officially out of the long-awaited clash after suffering an injury, presumably while training. As a result, fans inside T-Mobile Arena and those watching around the world will instead see light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira put his title on the line against Jiri Prochazka in a rematch of their November 2023 showdown.
Offering a timeline of the events that ultimately led to McGregor’s withdrawal, The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani revealed that the promotion had sent out some “feelers” in hopes of finding Chandler a suitable replacement.