Conor McGregor's UFC return against Michael Chandler is likely to be delayed as his status in the USADA testing pool remains unclear.
McGregor, 34, needs to complete six months of mandatory drug testing as per UFC policy before he is able to fight again. The Irishman has been out of the testing pool since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight, as official records on USADA's website show he is still yet to submit a drug testing sample since the third quarter of 2021.
USADA has not responded to queries regarding McGregor's status in their testing pool. McGregor is pencilled-in to fight Chandler at UFC 296 on December 16, meaning that last Friday was the deadline for him to notify USADA of his re-enrolment into their programme. There is still a possibility McGregor could fight at the end of the year as the six month window opens on the date of re-enrolment, not the submission of a fighter's first test sample.
What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor's UFC return seemingly being delayed? Let us know in the comments section below
Chandler addressed McGregor's USADA status in a Twitter video captioned "No joke, where the f*** is that guy?" as he went on to say: "Alright guys, you have all seen the news that Conor is not in USADA. There is 179 days left until December 16th which is supposed to be the last pay-per-view of the year. Comically, USADA shows up at my door today to add insult to injury. Where you at boy?"
The only way a UFC fighter can skip the mandatory six month testing period is for an "exceptional circumstance", a defence that allowed WWE star Brock Lesnar to compete on short-notice against Mark Hunt UFC 200 in 2016. McGregor has previously insisted he could use the defence to fight by just submitting two clean tests, but USADA has refuted his claim.
“While the rules permit the UFC to make an exception to the six-month rule in exceptional circumstances, when the strict application of the rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete, our position, which we have made clear, is that Conor should be in the testing pool for the full six-month period," a statement from the organisation read.
The possibility of McGregor fighting at the beginning of next year has already been discussed, as UFC boss Dana White told Robbie Fox that if the Irishman cannot make the UFC 296 deadline he will fight in early 2024. If McGregor is to return in January of next year, four years would have passed since his last UFC win against Donald Cerrone.
