Conor McGregor responds after Alex Pereira defends his injury withdrawal from UFC 303

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

UFC 303 News: Alex Pereira Destroys Jiří Procházka In Short-Notice Main Event

“The Notorious” was set to enter the Octagon for the first time since 2021 to headline UFC 303 this past weekend, but a toe injury forced the former two-division champion to withdraw from his bout with Michael Chandler just weeks before the event.

The UFC rushed to book a new main and co-main event to save UFC 303, and after Pereira knocked out Jiří Procházka in the program’s new headliner, McGregor acknowledged on social media how “Poatan” defended the Irishman’s choice to pull out of his comeback fight.

Much has been made of the fact that Pereira has shown himself willing 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 admitted he had no reason to fight if he wasn’t functioning at 100 percent.

“I think they made it a bigger deal than it is,” Diaz said in an interview with MMA junkie“If I get fucked, I’d postpone the fight too, but people are freaking out… (McGregor and Chandler) will have to deal with the criticism until the fight is over, but I think it will happen and it will all work out fine.”

Fans are still waiting for news on a new date for McGregor vs. Chandler, but following UFC 303, the promotion’s CEO Dana White didn’t seem to be able to say when the bout would be rescheduled. Both fighters continue to tell fans that an announcement is coming soon.

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

Conor McGregor insinuates anger towards UFC, Dana White in now-deleted post

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