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Conor McGregor is set to appear as one of the head coaches on season 31 of the The Ultimate Fighter, opposite Michael Chandler. Following the appearance, the former double champ will make his highly anticipated return to the octagon against the three-time Bellator lightweight champion.
While there is yet to be an official announcement giving details about the upcoming bout, UFC President Dana White has hinted that the fight will take place at lightweight. With Michael Chandler currently the No.5-ranked lightweight, it makes sense for the fight to take place at 155 pounds. 'The Notorious' has shared that he would like to make another run at a title and a victory over a top-ranked opponent could grant him a chance to fight for the belt.
There is not much known as to when the bout may take place. Conor McGregor has been out of the USADA testing pool for quite some time as he has not been tested since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in 2021. According to USADA guidelines, all fighters must be in the testing pool for six months and submit at least two testing samples in order to compete.
While the final episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on August 15th, McGregor is unlikely to make his return until September, at the earliest. Although he has not been tested, it is currently unclear if he has re-entered the USADA testing pool.
Sean O'Malley claims Conor McGregor has been using steroids
Conor McGregor has faced allegations of steroid use following his removal from the USADA testing pool combined with his massive increase in size. Speaking on his podcast, TimboSugarShow, Sean O'Malley backed the allegations while questioning how the former double champ will look in his return, stating:
"[Conor's] been sauced up, too. He wasn't even in the USADA pool so it doesn't matter what he's taking at that time. He obviously has to be in the USADA pool for six months, but imagine being on that s**t feeling so f**king good training - you f**king train, you do your s**t, you just train and train and train, then you have to get off that to make sure you pass all the tests and then you're not feeling like training as much."
There has been plenty of speculation that McGregor used steroids to recover from his broken leg suffered at UFC 264. While 'The Notorious' is eligible to coach The Ultimate Fighter without clearing testing protocols, he will need to do so before entering the octagon.
Watch Sean O'Malley discuss Conor McGregor's return below (starting at the 1:48 mark):
