Conor McGregor reveals he won’t compete in UFC 303 because he hurt his pinky finger

June 29 was the highly anticipated date for Conor McGregor to make his UFC comeback as he was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler. Nevertheless, the fight was called off and many speculated as to the reason.

That is to say, McGregor revealed on Friday that it was all the result of a toe injury he suffered during training, as he explained in a post on Instagram.

🚨| Conor McGregor has revealed it was a broken toe that forced him out of his #UFC303 main event with Michael Chandler. pic.twitter.com/axqllIK3py

— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) June 21, 2024

“Man we were so damn super ready for this fight it’s absolutely heartbreaking to believe,” McGregor wrote in the post. “We had a lapse in concentration and were doing a training session without wearing full protective gear and I knocked the toe off the elbow and broke the toe clean. It takes a few weeks, that’s all. I couldn’t just justify it to my team, or fans, that I am hindering the walk again.”

Conor McGregor shared photos of the toe injury that led to his canceled fight #UFC303. pic.twitter.com/JxJ7ekUX5j

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 21, 2024

The UFC replaced the headline fight with a light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and JiYí Procházka, and many fans noted how ironic this was considering Pereira had two broken toes.

Alex Pereira (the fighter replacing Conor McGregor) will defend his UFC LHW championship with two broken toes. https://t.co/CoSwbH2tTi

— cotydankh (@CotyJitsu) June 21, 2024

Islam Makhachev responds to Conor McGregor revealing a broken toe forced him to leave UFC 303 pic.twitter.com/yv6BqCiMBD

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 21, 2024

Both McGregor and Chandler appeared on Ultimate Fighter Season 31 last year, where they were coaches competing against each other.

Conor McGregor pushed Michael Chandler to the positive side of The Ultimate Fighter tonight 😳pic.twitter.com/UhRXpuKIee

— Link Points (@Link Points) July 5, 2023

Interestingly, they have both been out of the octagon for quite some time. That means the 35-year-old McGregor (22-6) hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. On the other hand, the 38-year-old Chandler (23-8) hasn’t exchanged blows with anyone since November 2022.

Fans accuse McGregor of being the reason why Chandler hasn’t been able to fight, citing the fact that he was waiting for the Irishman.

For those who say he could have fought two or three times by now etc. He would need ten to break even on this check.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 21, 2024

Many hope to see McGregor fight again, as he is the first UFC fighter to ever hold championships in two weight classes (featherweight and lightweight). That being said, ‘The Notorious’ promises its return in the near future.

“I get this back,” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “I have to. I have two fights left on my contract. I have Bugattis and more yachts on my mind. I’m going to shine. I just have to take my time… Goodbye See you at the top, or not.”

Related: Conor McGregor spotted dancing, partying with fiance after 2am