‘I’ll be back’ – Conor McGregor breaks silence on injury after UFC 303 comeback against Michael Chandler is called off

Conor McGregor has spoken out for the first time since his UFC 303 comeback was called off.

'Notorious' was due to fight Michael Chandler in the headliner fight for the June 29 event, but that appearance has now been cancelled due to injury.

Chandler was plotting a comeback of his own, having not fought since a defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2022.

Taking to Instagram, McGregor said: "Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout.

"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!

"Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!"

McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in July 2021 against Poirier, with Dana White confirming the news of the cancelled fight.

He said: "Conor McGregor is out of UFC 303 with an injury. It has been a crazy week here at UFC.”

UFC 303 will still go ahead, with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira stepping in to face Jiri Prochazka as the new main event, while Chandler will no longer be participating.

A new date for McGregor's fight with Chandler has not been confirmed, but MMA journalist Ariel Helwani says the Irishman is likely to fight Chandler in the next few months.

He tweeted: "The new date for McGregor x Chandler. August or September has been discussed, and that would likely mean creating a new PPV date those months (8/31 and 9/28) have been discussed.

"That part - which is massive in all this - hasn’t been finalized."