Conor McGregor Declares USADA Issues ”Done”, Teases UFC Return Date
Conor McGregor claims that his testing status with USADA has been addressed and a UFC matchup with Michael Chandler will be formally announced during the upcoming season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' (TUF).
“The Notorious” has been out of action for close to two years after breaking his ankle in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier, but the news that he and Chandler would serve as coaches on Season 31 of TUF immediately got fans excited for the Irishman’s return to the cage.
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Nothing has been officially booked thus far, but after brushing off a question about his USADA status, McGregor himself has now said that a date for his fight with Chandler will be announced very soon.
"That's done man, that's done," McGregor claimed. "By year end, I'm back in that cage having competed...It'll be announced during The Ultimate Fighter. So The Ultimate Fighter is airing now in a couple of days on ESPN, and by the time that show finishes we'll have a date and everything set for the fans."
Aside from his claim that the Chandler matchup would be announced at some point during this season of TUF, the most notable part of McGregor’s statement is the fact that the issue of his USADA testing status is “done” and no longer an obstacle for him to compete.
“The Notorious” has drawn considerable attention during his time away from the cage for the fact that he’s not currently in the USADA testing pool, which has caused some parties to question the methods he might have used to recover from his leg injury.
Fighters on the UFC roster need to be active in the testing pool for at least six months before being allowed to compete, which has left the clock ticking on the possibility of a McGregor vs. Chandler fight taking place before the end of the year.
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It remains yet to be seen what exactly McGregor means by his issue with USADA being “done”, but his timeline for having the Chandler fight announced does at least somewhat line up with recent comments made by Dana White.
The matchup is already the UFC’s most-anticipated fight of the year even without it having a firm date, so no doubt fans will be keeping a close eye when Season 31 of TUF airs to see if there’s an official announcement as McGregor has promised.
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