Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev criticized USADA for not testing Conor McGregor despite him getting booked for a fight with Michael Chandler.
Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor has been on the sidelines for about two years due to a horrific leg break injury he suffered in his last outing against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Jul. 2021. He needed to undergo surgery and was expected to stay on the sidelines in recovery for an extended period of time. Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White confirmed McGregor would serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31 before marking his return to action against Michael Chandler. Although no official date was given with the announcement, it was expected to take place later this year.
Rafael Fiziev calls ‘crazy & stupid’ on Conor McGregor not getting tested by USADA
In a recent interview with The Allstar, Rafael Fiziev shared his thoughts on Conor McGregor not getting tested by USADA ahead of his anticipated return versus Chandler.
“It’s so so crazy and stupid because if he’s a UFC fighter, USADA has to test him,” said Fiziev. “I didn’t know that before like a couple of days ago, I just see the news that USADA hasn’t tested Conor. I said, what the f**k? How? He’s a UFC fighter, and he wants to fight for the belt, he talked about it, he has to fight against Chandler, it’s coming, but USADA hasn’t tested him.
“How? Why do they test everybody but not test Conor McGregor? Yes, he’s a superstar, a big star. He deserves more than everybody in this game but we have to be everybody… like justice, you know.”
McGregor is required to fulfill the six-month minimum duration in the USADA drug testing pool and provide two negative samples before he’s eligible to get back inside the cage. However, he missed the deadline to re-enter the pool to make his fight with Chandler happen on the last pay-per-view card of the year, indicating he would likely fight him next year or not all. The only way he could compete with Chandler this year is if he’s granted an exemption by USADA.
Fiziev wants to return against Mateusz Gamrot
Coming off a hard-fought war against Justin Gaethje in his last outing, Fiziev is looking to get a matchup with Mateusz Gamrot next. While he entertained the idea of competing against Arman Tsarukyan, he’s doubtful it would come to fruition. He claimed Gamrot agreed to the prospect and is waiting on the UFC to make it official.
“I think I can’t right now choose like oh I want this. I’m number six and if they have somebody free, like who’s free now? Arman Tsarukyan, he also talked about me a little bit, he agreed the fight but yeah, of course we’re top now. We have two fight. He just fought now. I want to fight September. I don’t think he’s going to fight September. It’s too short. Gamrot, we already talked with him. I don’t know why UFC waiting because we already talked. Let’s go. We have to sign the contract and get ready to fight now.”
Fiziev will aim to get back in the winning column in his next fight following the loss to Gaethje. He’s currently unbooked and will likely get paired for his next contest in the near future.
