The final nail in the coffin for the return of Conor McGregor has been hammered in. The UFC 303‘s main event has had a shake-up and fans may have to hang in there before they get to see the Irishman back in action. Combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani claims there were talks between Dana White & Co. for the McGregor fight to take place in arguably what could be the greatest UFC event ever, but those plans all went bust.

With the fight not happening, Conor McGregor’s hiatus will become three years long. This was never the original plan, of course, but as fate would have it, the reason behind this delay is an injury suffered by the former dual-weight champion. And now, there’s a big discussion about the postponement of his fight against Michael Chandler and, according to Ariel Helwani, there are two targeted dates in sight at the moment.

No chance for McGregor to fight at the Sphere

The Mexican Independence Day has become an important date for Dana White and his promotion, and last year, he found grand success with the first edition of Noche UFC. The UFC CEO, this year, wants to make it even bigger, or perhaps the best live combat sports event ever at the visually spectacular Sphere in Las Vegas. And who better than ‘The Fighting Irish’ to headline the card, which guarantees a great financial outcome?

“There’s the whole, you know, Mexican Independence Day weekend thing and all that… he’s always paid homage to the Mexican fans. He’s always shown them love,” Ariel Helwani said on his YouTube channel. An epic entrance for the most massive star this sport has ever seen at a venue that has endless possibilities is bound to be a sight to be remembered, but guess what? Dana White isn’t ready to accommodate Conor McGregor at the Sphere because certain steps for the event, UFC 306, have already been set in motion.

“That will be amazing [having Conor McGregor on that card] but anyway, [I] hear they don’t want to [do that]. They already have a couple of [fights] lined up for that one,” Helwani added. Now that Mexican Independence Day is not a possibility, or at least by the looks of it, reports have cited that August 31st and September 28th are two possible dates when Conor could enter the octagon. But, this has not been finalized yet.

On the other hand, with Conor McGregor not being there, the new main event of UFC 303 is set to be a rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka for the 205-pound strap. Similarly, the co-main event also received a significant shake-up, with both Carlos Ulberg and Jamahal Hill getting completely scrapped.

Changes in the UFC 303 co-main event

Yes, Jamahal Hill and Carlos Ulberg are out of the card, but for what reason, we are not sure. The replacement fight will be a contest 60 pounds less – a featherweight bout between two exciting fighters. Former two-time title challenger Brian Ortega will return to action against young up-and-comer Diego Lopes.

Ortega recently came back with a win last February and has eyes on another title shot. Meanwhile, Diego Lopes has been on a streak of finishes and has a lot of momentum heading into the fight. But will the short-notice nature of the UFC 303 co-main event affect these two fighters’ performances? That remains to be seen on June 29.

With all that has changed, how do you think UFC 303 will unfold? Let us know in the comments.