Conor McGregor said Friday he pulled out of the UFC 303 main event against Michael Chandler due to a broken toe.
The long-awaited fight was scheduled to take place June 29 in Las Vegas. McGregor suffered the injury in training in early June and officially withdrew last week.
“We had a lapse in concentration and engaged in a training session without wearing the full protective gear, and I hit the toe off the elbow and broke the toe clean,” McGregor wrote in an Instagram post.
McGregor said his toe “needs a few weeks” to heal. The Irishman hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He entered that fight with a pre-existing injury and vowed not to do so again. The broken toe was on the same leg he injured versus Poirier.
“I couldn’t justify to my team, or fans, that I make the walk hindered again,” McGregor wrote. “That walk has been seen. This next walk has got to be, and it will be, 100% Conor McGregor. The fans deserve it and we are getting close.”
McGregor shared photos of the broken toe on social media:
McGregor said he was “so f—–g super ready” for the Chandler fight and it was “absolutely gut wrenching” to pull out.
The UFC reportedly plans to reschedule McGregor-Chandler in the second half of 2024, potentially in August or September. McGregor said he is confident he will fight again.
“I’ll be back,” McGregor wrote. “See ya soon. See ya at the top. Chandler or not,” adding that he has two fights left on his current UFC contract.
After McGregor-Chandler was canceled, the UFC booked a rematch between light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka as the new UFC 303 main event.
The promotion also added a new co-main event between featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes to bolster the card.
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