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Conor McGregor Responds after Alex Pereira Defends UFC 303 Injury Withdrawal

"Excited to secure my new date."

Drew Beaupre

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

There appears to be nothing but respect between Conor McGregor and Alex Pereira after the latter fighter stepped in to save UFC 303.

UFC 303 News: Alex Pereira Demolishes Jiří Procházka in Short-Notice Main Event

McGregor Responds to Pereira after UFC 303

“The Notorious” was supposed to step into the Octagon for the first time since 2021 to headline UFC 303 last weekend, but a toe injury forced the former two-division champion to withdraw from his fight with Michael Chandler just weeks out from the event.

The UFC quickly scrambled to book a new main and co-main event to save UFC 303, and after Pereira knocked out Jiří Procházka in the card’s new headliner McGregor took to social media to acknowledge how “Poatan” defended the Irishman’s choice to withdraw from his comeback fight.

Much has been made about the fact that Pereira has shown a willingness to fight on short notice with the same injury that caused “The Notorious” to pull out of UFC 303, but even McGregor’s former rival Nate Diaz acknowledged that he had no reason to fight if he was operating at anything less than one hundred percent.

“I think they made a bigger deal of it than it is,” Diaz said in an interview with MMA Junkie. "If I get f***ed up, I would like to push the fight back too, but people f***ing freak out…[McGregor and Chandler are] going to have to deal with the criticism until the fight gets done, but I think it’ll happen and it’ll all be good.”

Conor McGregor Responds after Alex Pereira Defends UFC 303 Injury Withdrawal
Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Conor McGregor is carried off a stretcher following an injury suffered against Dustin Poirier during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Fans are still waiting for news regarding a new date for McGregor vs. Chandler, but in the aftermath of UFC 303 the promotion’s CEO Dana White seemed noncommittal about when it would be rebooked even as both fighters continue telling fans that an announcement is imminent.

McGregor’s withdrawal from UFC 303 did give Pereira a chance to defend his light heavyweight title for the second time and further establish himself as a major star for the promotion, and many fans now seem as excited to hear about the next move for “Poatan” as they are for an update on the return of “The Notorious”.

Conor McGregor Insinuates Anger Toward UFC, Dana White in Now-Deleted Post

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Drew Beaupre

DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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