Conor McGregor has taken a significant step toward returning to the Octagon by officially submitting a drug-testing sample to USADA.
In July 2021, McGregor’s fighting career was put on hold due to a fractured tibia suffered against Dustin Poirier. ‘The Notorious’ overcame the injury and started training again, but there is one thing keeping him away from the Octagon – USADA.
The former two-division UFC champion had yet to rejoin the random drug-testing pool, which every fighter must do for six months before being approved. Luckily, McGregor recently re-enrolled in the anti-doping program and submitted a sample.
MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter confirmed the news by sharing a screenshot from USADA’s database on Twitter with the caption:
“USADA has updated their athlete test results and it shows that Conor McGregor has submitted his first samples in over two years. USADA sent out a release a few weeks ago confirming that McGregor had re-enrolled in the UFC’s anti-doping program.”
Conor McGregor has started his mandatory drug-testing period with USADA, but he won’t be able to complete it with the same program. On January 1, 2024, USADA’s partnership with the UFC will end after a messy public argument.
USADA has updated their athlete test results and it shows that Conor McGregor has submitted his first samples in over two years.
USADA sent out a release a few weeks ago confirming that McGregor had re-enrolled in the UFC's anti-doping program. pic.twitter.com/BymPg9119n
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 26, 2023
When is Conor McGregor expected to fight again?
The expectation throughout most of 2023 was that Conor McGregor would fight in December against Michael Chandler. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, leading to McGregor’s highly-anticipated return being postponed to 2024.
Earlier this year, McGregor and Chandler coached against each other on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31. Regardless of the timeline, ‘Iron’ has remained consistent with his plans to wait until the former two-division UFC champion is approved so they can fight.
Conor McGregor’s last fight was his second consecutive loss against Dustin Poirier. Since defeating Eddie Alvarez in November 2016, McGregor has lost three of his last four fights in the Octagon, with his lone win being a 40-second knockout win against Donald Cerrone.
Only time will tell if the Dublin native can silence the doubters by returning to action and picking up his eleventh UFC win.
