Conor McGregor has stated his intention to re-enter USADA’s testing pool in the coming days, which will pave the way for him to fight Michael Chandler before the end of the year.
“That’s done, my man,” McGregor told Mirror Fighting when asked to confirm a rumor that he’d be re-entering the testing pool on June 1st. “That’s done. Year end, I’m back in that cage having competed. I’m gearing up ready to go.
“Michael Chandler, yeah. It will 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.”
USADA have since stated that it’s their understanding that McGregor will indeed be available for testing, while explaining how the process works.
“We have recently been in direct contact with Conor McGregor, and as he confirmed today in the media, we expect to receive his paperwork coming out of retirement and re-entering the USADA testing pool immediately,” USADA wrote in a statement. “Like other athletes who come out of retirement, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, McGregor will be subject to testing for at least six months and must provide at least two negative samples before being permitted to compete. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that all athletes who are not subject to a period of testing are adequately tested over a reasonable period of time before competing to ensure a level playing field for all athletes.”
