UFC 303 fight card: All the bouts added till date on the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler headliner event

Conor McGregor is set to make his highly-anticipated return to the octagon at UFC 303 in June after nearly three years of inactivity. It will mark the former double champ's first bout since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021. The pair previously coached opposing sides of season 31 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' which aired between May and August 2023.

While the card has not been fully announced, the presence of 'The Notorious' will likely ensure that it does well in terms of pay-per-view buys. Several fights have been announced, however, with the most notable matchup - aside from the main event - taking place at light heavyweight. Fresh off his UFC 300 main event title bout loss, No.3-ranked light heavyweight Jamahal Hill will make a quick turnaround, facing No.8-ranked light heavyweight Khalil Rountree.

The only other ranked matchup announced, thus far, will feature No.14-ranked women's strawweight Michelle Waterson-Gomez and No.15-ranked women's strawweight Gillian Robertson. The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 302, however, it was postponed for unknown reasons.

Unranked middleweights Joe Pyfer and Marc-Andre Barriault are also set to clash during the International Fight Week card. Unranked featherweight Andre Fili will take on Cub Swanson, while unranked flyweights Rei Tsuruya and Carlos Hernandez will face one another. The latter had originally been scheduled to face Cody Durden, however, his opponent was pulled from the card for unknown reasons.

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Michael Chandler claims Conor McGregor could retire following UFC 303 beatdown

Michael Chandler will have the opportunity to welcome Conor McGregor back to the octagon at UFC 303 after a three-year hiatus. Speaking in a recent Q&A on Instagram, the No.7-ranked lightweight claimed he could send 'The Notorious' to retirement, stating:

"This is going to be the biggest fight of the last five years. This will be the biggest fight since Conor vs. Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. I don’t say that because Conor’s opponent is just as big as Khabib, who was the biggest Muslim athlete on the planet, undefeated, championship fight. But there’s something special about this one. On June 29, you have to buy the pay-per-view, and you have to buy the pay-per-view because there’s a chance this is the greatest comeback in combat sports history by the sport’s biggest star."

Chandler continued:

"That’s why you have to buy the pay-per-view. Or the other option, the more likely option, is I absolutely molly wop this dude and put a beatdown of biblical proportions on him, and this is the last time you ever see Conor McGregor compete inside the octagon. So either way, you have to tune in on June 29. UFC 303 is going to be the most-viewed and the biggest pay-per-view that we have ever seen for a multitude of reasons." [h/t MMA Junkie]

Chandler has predicted that he will pick up a second-round finish. While much attention has been placed on McGregor's inactivity, it will mark 'Iron's' first bout since suffering a third-round submission loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022.