Conor McGregor’s UFC return is ON as the Irishman insists he is training for his fight with Michael Chandler…
- Conor McGregor insists he is ‘well prepared’ for the Michael Chandler fight
- McGregor was scheduled to face Chandler this year, but he missed the USADA deadline
- The UFC may grant waivers from testing rules in “exceptional circumstances.”
Conor McGregor has hinted he will fight soon, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
Notorious has yet to re-enroll in the USADA drug testing pool and recently missed the deadline to host his upcoming fight with Michael Chandler this year.
The final UFC pay-per-view event of 2023 is scheduled for December 16, so McGregor should make himself available for testing by June 16 to complete the mandatory six months of random drug testing in order to compete.
However, McGregor has still not been added to USADA’s online database. In fact, he hasn’t been there since the third quarter of 2021.
Still, McGregor confirms he is ‘well prepared’ for his upcoming fight, suggesting he could return to action this year.
Conor McGregor says he is ‘well prepared’ for his upcoming fight with Michael Chandler
McGregor and Chandler were set to face each other this year after their Ultimate Fighter season
The UFC can grant USADA waivers in “exceptional circumstances,” although this is rare
He tweeted, “Looking forward to my upcoming fight. I am well prepared.’ Chandler is also under the impression that he will fight McGregor in 2023.
“I think Conor will be back,” Chandler continued Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel. “I don’t think he wants to tarnish his legacy by leading us all down this road of,
“I’m doing the Ultimate Fighter, I’m fighting Michael Chandler – Oh, by the way, never mind. I’m not coming back.
“Presumably there was a countdown with USADA, six months and all that other stuff. That is not for me to choose or decide.
‘Have there been any exemptions before? Talk about exemptions. That, of course, is all on the table.
“All I know is that I’m in control of the controllables, and anyway, I keep moving forward.
“And I do believe I’m fighting Conor in six months, and it’s going to be one of the biggest pay-per-views we’ve ever seen, and I’m going to go out and take him out in the first two. rounds.’
The UFC can grant waivers for fighters in “exceptional circumstances” or when the “strict application of the six-month rule would be clearly unfair to an athlete.”
This was last exercised when Brock Lesnar returned to the UFC in 2016 against Mark Hunt.
The WWE superstar would test positive for the banned substance clomiphene in a post-fight drug test.