UFC 196: Conor McGregor vs Rafael Dos Anjos off as Brazilian fighter suffers foot injury

The UFC are currently attempting to find a replacement to fight McGregor

Rafael dos Anjos (Getty Images)

Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has withdrawn from next week's UFC 196 main event fight against Conor McGregor with a foot injury.

The fight, which was one of the most-anticipated mixed martial arts bouts of recent times, has subsequently been postponed.

UFC are currently trying to find a replacement to fight McGregor on less than two weeks' notice, with Donald Cerrone or Nate Diaz the most likely options.

However, with just 11 days to go, it is also possible that the UFC could just decide to postpone the fight altogether and reschedule it for UFC 200, due to take place in July.

This is the second time in just a year that a Brazilian fighter has pulled out of a title bout with McGregor. Last summer, the then UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo withdrew from his fight against the Irishman at UFC 189 with just eleven days’ notice.

The UFC quickly inserted Chad Mendes to fight McGregor for an interim belt before McGregor finally met Aldo in December.

The withdrawal of Dos Anjos is the fourth time in McGregor's eight UFC fights that his original booked opponent has withdrawn from the fight.

It is yet to be confirmed whether Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate for the UFC women's bantamweight title, which is currently the co-main event for the March 5 card, will be inserted into the main event slot.