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Conor McGregor won’t be able to fight before meeting his USADA requirements.
‘The Notorious’ last fought in July 2021, losing against his rival Dustin Poirier for the second consecutive time. Not only did he lose, but McGregor also suffered a gruesome leg injury, leading to a lengthy recovery. The former two-division UFC champion is now planning to return in 2023. With that said, there is one thing standing in his way.
ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi announced on Twitter that McGregor hasn’t re-entered the USADA testing pool. He had this to say:
“Conor McGregor has not re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool as of today, according to the agency. USADA reiterated that he would need to be in the pool for six months and pass at least two drug tests to compete again in the UFC.”
While recovering from his leg injury, McGregor exited the USADA testing. Since then, the 34-year-old filmed a Road House remake movie and found himself in some more controversial headlines.
McGregor is fully recovered and ready to make his Octagon return, but USADA requires six months of clean drug tests. In the meantime, ‘The Notorious’ will officially coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Is Conor McGregor coaching The Ultimate Fighter because of his USADA requirements?
Dana White officially announced that Conor McGregor will coach the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, with Michael Chandler as the other coach. At the end of the season, ‘The Notorious' and ‘Iron’ will fight in a highly-anticipated pay-per-view main event.
Marc Raimondi discussed the relationship between McGregor’s USADA requirements and TUF timeline by saying:
“Of course, McGregor can still coach TUF without being in the USADA drug-testing pool. There is still time for him to re-enter the pool for a fight in late August or September after the TUF season airs, which is what I fully expect to happen.”
McGregor coaching TUF is a genius move by the UFC. He gets to build hype for his return while slowly fulfilling his USADA requirements. TUF 30 will be the second time ‘The Notorious’ has coached the reality series.
The former two-division UFC champion appeared on TUF 22 alongside Urijah Faber, which was one of the most entertaining seasons of the show. It’s unclear what weight class will be featured in the newest season.
