Conor McGregor breaks silence after pulling out of UFC return

McGregor said the decision to cancel his fight had not been 'made lightly'

The Irishman had been due to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29 in Las Vegas, in what would have been his first time in the Octagon since July 2021.

However, on Friday UFC president Dana White announced the fight would no longer be going ahead after McGregor suffered an injury.

Now, McGregor has released his first statement about the cancellation.

The 35-year-old said it had been "very tough" to be ruled out of the fight and that the decision had not been "made lightly."

In a post on Facebook, he wrote: "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!"

No further details have been given about the nature of McGregor's injury.

White confirmed that UFC 303 will still go ahead with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira stepping in to face Jiri Prochazka as the new main event.

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