UFC 303’s Alex Pereira ‘cannot judge’ Conor McGregor for pinky pullout: ‘He was fighting in a much different scenario’

UFC 303 has revolved around fighter feet.

Yep, you read that right. International Fight Week got shuffled on short notice thanks to Conor McGregor suffering a broken pinky toe. Coincidentally he was replaced by the Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, who dealt with the same injury (plus one) in his last fight against Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April 2024.

The mixed martial arts (MMA) community has called out McGregor, making the comparison with Pereira’s willingness to step in and having fought with damaged extremities. However, “Poatan” isn’t joining them.

“I cannot judge whether he fights or not because honestly, he’s in a point in his life where he secured himself on many different financial aspects,” Pereira told ESPN. “Maybe he was fighting in a much different scenario than I’m fighting. Maybe if I was fighting in the situation where he is in life right now, I don’t know if I would do it, too. So, I cannot judge how bad it is.

“It is hard to fight with a broken pinky [toe],” he continued. “It is a risky decision, very risky decision to fight with a broken toe. I broke one before the fight, it was bad, in the fight I broke the other one. Maybe if it was the other one, I wouldn’t have been able to fight, so I cannot weigh that, but I made the right choice.”

Pereira looks to successfully defend his UFC Light Heavyweight crown for the second time when he rematches the man he won it against, Jiri Prochazka, inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend (Sat., June 25, 2024).

LIVE! Watch UFC 303 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

’McGREGOR-FREE MAIN EVENT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 29, 2024, without its biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor, after the Irish sports star delayed the “greatest comeback of all-time” because he broke his pinky toe (seriously). Coming the rescue once again is Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, agreeing to rematch former division champion, Jiri Prochazka, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. In UFC 303’s co-headliner, top-ranked Featherweight contender, Brian Ortega, will attempt to halt the rise of red-hot surging 145-pound prospect, Diego Lopes. UFC 303’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze and Ian Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 303 start time scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 303 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 303: “Alex vs. Jiri 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.