Reaction: Conor McGregor is OUT of UFC 303, Alex Pereira defending title against Jiri Prochazka

In this breaking news podcast, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew, Damon Martin, and Eric Jackman react to the breaking news that Conor McGregor is OUT of his UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler.

Rumors have circulated for weeks that the UFC 303 main event was in jeopardy and on Thursday evening, UFC CEO Dana White finally confirmed that the fight between McGregor and Chandler is off due to injury. Instead, UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira steps in on short notice, putting his title on the line in a rematch with former champion Jiri Prochazka. On top of that, Brian Ortega now faces Diego Lopes in the co-main event, and Carlos Ulberg now faces Anthony Smith, who steps in for an injured Jamahal Hill. All that plus the UFC Saudi Arabia card has a new main event as well.

The MMA Fighting team reacts to a tumultuous day for the UFC.

Listen to our emergency reaction to the big news below and don’t forget to subscribe to the MMA Fighting feed on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and all your other favorite podcast platforms for the latest episodes.