Decision to pull out of Chandler fight 'not made lightly'

Conor McGregor says the decision to pull out of his fight against Michael Chandler on 29 June “was not made lightly”.

The UFC confirmed on Friday McGregor was forced to withdraw from the welterweight contest at UFC 303 due to an injury.

Speaking on Instagram, external, McGregor said he was “confident” he would return to fighting soon.

“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout,” McGregor, 35, said.

“I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time to heal than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC and my team.

“My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we will get there.”

It is the first time McGregor, a former two-weight world champion, has been forced to pull out of a UFC fight through injury.

McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he broke his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier.

The Irishman was due to headline UFC 303 but has now been replaced by light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Brazil’s Pereira steps in on two weeks' notice to defend his title against the Czech Republic's Jiri Prochazka in the new main event.

The McGregor-Chandler fight was announced on 24 May and tickets sold out in less than 10 minutes.

The UFC "postponed" a news conference in Dublin earlier this month, although American Chandler continued to train and the UFC's broadcast partners continued to advertise the fight.

The highly anticipated welterweight bout between Irishman Ian Garry and Briton Michael 'Venom' Page remains on the UFC 303 card.