CONOR McGREGOR showed off his new bald look after being seen for the first time since pulling out of fighting Michael Chandler.
The Irish superstar was due to make his return after three years out in Las Vegas against Chandler on June 29.
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3Conor McGregor at the Road House New York Premiere in March 2024Credit: Getty
3McGregor showed off his new bald lookCredit: @thenotoriousmma
But following a period of uncertainty, UFC boss Dana White confirmed McGregor was officially out of action.
The ex-champion later released a statement online and then followed it up with a Father’s Day picture with his youngest child Mack.
McGregor, wearing a grey tracksuit set, black sunglasses and Prada slippers, held his son with both arms and showed off his shaved head.
Speculation over McGregor’s return mounted when a scheduled June 3 Dublin press conference was abruptly cancelled on a day’s notice.
An up-and-down period where the UFC and McGregor remained silent then ensued before finally the comeback fight was officially axed.
White briefly spoke out to confirm his biggest draw of all time had suffered an injury so severe it forced him out.
And McGregor also broke his silence with a message of encouragement to fans.
He posted online: “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.
Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler off as UFC 303 main event axed as Notorious suffers injury days before Vegas
“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!”
During his meteoric rise, McGregor gained a reputation for fighting through injury and never pulling out.
In fact, this marks the first time the former two-division champion has ever ruled himself out of a UFC bout.
McGregor, 35, has not fought since July 2021 when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier, 35.
But it remains to be seen whether the horror injury is connected to his withdrawal from UFC 303.
UFC boss White had only commented to confirm light-heavyweight champ Alex Pereira was filling in to rematch Jiří Prochazka on two weeks notice.
Pereira, 36, won the initial bout via second-round stoppage in November 2023.
White later told Sports Business Journal: “It’s the business, man.
“This is the way it goes. And from here on I’m not going to talk about it until when he’s healed and he’s right. Then we’ll look at the landscape and see what we can figure out.”
McGregor’s long-anticipated fight with Chandler, 38, is now expected to be rescheduled to later in the year.
August or September has been mooted as the likely reschedule date.
3McGregor facing off with Michael Chandler
