Conor McGregor’s return — and his pinky toe — have been put on ice.

UFC 303 fight week has arrived and it is headlined by a big-time light heavyweight title fight rematch as the champion Alex Pereira looks to once again turn back Jiri Prochazka. The fight fills the void left by McGregor and Michael Chandler after McGregor suffered an injury. While speculation ran rampant as the bout slowly dissolved by the day, “The Notorious” Irishman revealed over the weekend that a broken toe was the culprit for his withdrawal.

McGregor, 35, has received heaps of backlash from his peers and community alike since sharing his injury, as can be seen in today’s Social Scroll Down below. However, UFC commentator Joe Rogan finds the former two-division champion’s decision perfectly understandable.

“Look, here’s the thing about a broken pinky toe,” Rogan said on the Joe Rogan Experience (h/t MMA Mania). “When you’re a guy who kicks as much as Conor, it’s a f*cking problem and it’s also the same foot where his leg was snapped, and he went into that fight injured.

“He’s never pulled out of a fight before, this is the first one he’s pulled out of, and I think it’s wise. I think if you do have a broken toe, and you are going into a fight, and you did go into the last fight injured, what if that f*cking toe becomes a real issue? What if he throws a kick and it smashes again and he’s in agony and he can’t move?

“You gotta be able to get the f*ck out of the way with Michael Chandler,” he concluded.

UFC CEO Dana White was reluctant to give a timetable for McGregor’s return when asked about the fight’s fallout at UFC Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chandler has teased interest in a Max Holloway fight on Twitter.

As noted by Rogan, McGregor’s most recent appearance in the octagon saw him suffer what would be a nightmarish outcome for any fighter, losing via TKO that came after a broken leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor has boasted about the newly strengthened limb after having a plate surgically implanted upon recovery.

Coincidentally, Pereira has also been dealing with a pair of broken toes since his first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April.

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TOP STORIES

Champ. UFC 303 roundtable: Is Alex Pereira the MVP of the UFC?

Nope. Dana White responds to Conor McGregor hinting at August, September return: ‘He’s not ready’

Shots. ‘Sweet slippers:’ Michael Chandler fires back at Conor McGregor following Bellator Dublin appearance

Rebook. Robert Whittaker still open to Khamzat Chimaev fight: ‘We can settle the score another day’

Fluctuation. Michael Bisping: Kelvin Gastelum ‘should be ashamed of himself’ following UFC Saudi Arabia weight mishap

Withdrawal. Conor McGregor defends decision to withdraw from UFC 303: ‘Perfection is on the menu with me’

Problematic. Dana White reacts to Kelvin Gastelum’s latest weight-cut struggles: ‘It’s extremely disappointing’

$$$. UFC Saudi Arabia bonuses: Robert Whittaker, Volkan Oezdemir’s stunning knockouts lead list

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LET’S WATCH

UFC Saudi Arabia Post-Show.

Light heavyweight history.

PFL SLC Highlights.

PFL Fight Week.

Super RIZIN 3 trailer.

Full fight.

Poatan prep.

The toe.

Aspinall workout.

Darc Sport with the Holloways.

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MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

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SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

Conor can’t be surprised by these reactions... can he?

Wild indeed.

Menace.

No Time.

Flash.

Reaper.

Prestige.

Lol. I missed this live.

D’oh.

Bro...

Can’t believe Gomi survived.

Goddamn.

Tough L’s.

Return.

Prospect wars.

JTT.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Anthony Smith (37-19) vs. Roman Dolidze (12-3); UFC 303, June 29

Amanda Lemos (14-3-1) vs. Virna Jandiroba (20-3); UFC Vegas 94, July 20

Yana Santos (14-8) vs. Chelsea Chandler (6-2); UFC Vegas 95, Aug. 10

Tai Tuivasa (14-7) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (14-5); UFC 305, Aug. 17

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m sorry, Joe, but Pereira. Pereira pretty much kills all arguments for Conor.

Thanks for reading!

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POLL POSITION

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 70% of 348 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will Colby Covington get what you would consider a ‘big’ fight next?”

Thursday: 59% of 373 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Are you excited for Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry?”

Wednesday: 81% of 403 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will Anthony Smith get a title shot if he and Alex Pereira both win at UFC 303?”

Tuesday: 62% of 395 total votes answered “Robert Whittaker and Sergei Pavlovich” when asked, “Who wins this weekend?” Whittaker defeated Ikram Aliskerov via first-round knockout (punches) at 1:49 in UFC Saudi Arabia’s main event. Alexander Volkov defeated Pavlovich via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) in UFC Saudi Arabia’s co-main event.

Monday: 57% of 259 total votes answered “No” when asked, “Will Tatsuro Taira win a UFC title?”

Today’s exit poll:

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