• • MMA columnist for ESPN.com
  • Analyst for “MMA Live”
  • Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun

Conor McGregor will no longer fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White said Thursday night.

The new main event is a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka , according to White.

White also announced two more fights to the card: Diego Lopes will face Brian Ortega in the co-main event, and Carlos Ulberg will now fight Anthony Smith in a light heavyweight bout after Jamahal Hill , who was slated to fight in the co-main event, was ruled out due to injury.

According to White, the sellout event was on pace to set a UFC record with a live gate of more than $20 million. UFC has not announced whether the nontitle welterweight bout between McGregor and Chandler will be rescheduled.

Chandler appeared to take the announcement in stride, acknowledging the uncertainty and “risk” of facing McGregor in a social media post on Friday.

McGregor, 35, was set to return to competition for the first time since he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The former featherweight and lightweight champion has fought only four times since a blockbuster boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. He is 1-3 in those appearances, with two losses to Poirier and a submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a 2018 title fight.

The June fight being called off is a disappointing chapter in what has become something of a saga between McGregor and Chandler, a former champion in Bellator MMA, who first called out McGregor in earnest in 2022. UFC announced the two would coach against each other on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series in early 2023, which went ahead as scheduled that spring. A fight date did not come together until early this year, however, for various reasons.

UFC’s former drug testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency, claimed McGregor’s situation led to the dissolution of its UFC program, as the promotion wanted to grant McGregor an exemption of a six-month testing requirement following his leg injury. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell denied that assertion and demanded a public apology.

UFC has since partnered with several other agencies to run its drug program.

McGregor, of Ireland, promised in a social media post that his return to the Octagon this year would be the start of the “Greatest Comeback in Sports History.” UFC scheduled a news conference with McGregor and Chandler on June 3 at 3Arena in Dublin but canceled the event just 12 hours before doors were to open, which prompted speculation on the status of the fight.

Chandler, 38, has not fought since a back-and-forth loss to Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022. He has expressed a passing interest in potential bouts against Nate Diaz , who is currently not signed to UFC, or BMF titleholder Max Holloway .

The highly anticipated return of Khamzat Chimaev will have to wait.

The undefeated fighter was set to headline the UFC’s first event in Saudi Arabia on June 22 against former champion Robert Whittaker . However, UFC president Dana White announced Thursday that Chimaev has been pulled from the main event of UFC on ABC 6 because he has been “violently ill.”

Chimaev will be replaced by Ikram Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who was slated to face Antonio Trocoli in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex.

The removal of Chimaev began a roller coaster day for the promotion. Hours after the Chimaev news was announced, UFC 303 lost its much anticipated headliner between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler because of a McGregor injury. Instead, Alex Pereira will defend his light heavyweight championship against Jiri Procházka on that card’s main event.

Despite having a little over a week’s notice, the UFC didn’t have to look far to find a replacement for Chimaev, as Aliskerov, who has only lost to Chimaev in his MMA career, answered the call. Aliskerov gets a massive bump in competition in his third UFC bout, going from facing an unranked middleweight to the former 185-pound champion. In Aliskerov’s last outing in October, he stopped Warlley Alves in the first round.

As for Chimaev, 30, his availability to compete has been an issue over the past couple of years after his meteoric rise following his 2020 debut. He has competed only once since submitting Kevin Holland in September 2022, with a majority decision win over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in October. Also in October, one of Chimaev’s coaches revealed that visa difficulties because of his Chechen nationality and Russian passport have prevented “Borz” from competing in the United States, leaving the UFC to find international fight cards for Chimaev.

The Saudi Arabia card was thought to be the perfect event for Chimaev to make his return in what was likely a middleweight title eliminator against Whittaker. However, a photo from one of his sparring partners showed Chimaev in bed with an unknown illness. White emphasized that Chimaev was ill and wished him a return to good health.