Conor McGregor has to undergo six months of drug testing and provide a minimum of at least two negative tests before he’s allowed to compete in the UFC again.
UFC President Dana White has confirmed that McGregor isn’t currently in the United States Anti-Doping pool. This is mandatory for all athletes who are on the roster.
It was previously reported that McGregor hadn’t been tested at all in 2022, but there was no official word from USADA on whether or not he was still part of the testing pool. At the time, the organization said it was unable to verify any athlete’s participation in the testing pool.
That has now changed. USADA confirmed McGregor’s news Tuesday to MMA Fighting after White said McGregor must undergo six months worth of testing in order to be able to compete again.
Typically, athletes only leave the USADA testing pool when exiting the UFC or retiring from competition. Any fighter that leaves the pool, however, has to complete the six months of testing before returning to action. McGregor must complete this process before booking his next fight, unless the UFC or USADA grant him an exemption.
McGregor, 34, most recently fought in July 2021, when he suffered a gruesome broken leg in his fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was also one of the most tested athletes that year with 11 total tests during 2021.
Since that time, the former two-division UFC champion has been recovering from the injury. Recently, he has also moved to the Dominican Republic in order to film an important part in the Road House remake with Jake Gyllenhaal.
UFC 280, McGregor slammed Islam Makhachev, the new UFC lightweight champion. He also had an altercation with Alexander Volkanovski, UFC’s reigning featherweight champion.
McGregor has continued to tease a return to action when he recovers from the broken leg, though there’s been no actual timeline for his next fight. It appears he’ll have to wait until deep into 2023 to compete again once he re-enrolls in the USADA testing pool.
