Michael Chandler has raised doubts about a potential fight with Conor McGregor this year, citing McGregor’s absence from the UFC’s testing pool as the reason. McGregor apparently missed the registration deadline with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) to participate in the UFC’s final event on December 16. Usada requires McGregor to be in the testing pool for six months prior to a fight, and Chandler claimed that McGregor has not fulfilled this requirement.
On social media, Chandler stated, “You guys have all seen the news: Conor’s not in Usada. One hundred and seventy-nine days left until December 16, which is supposed to be the last pay-per-view of the year. And comically, Usada shows up at my door today to add insult to injury.”
Records from Usada indicate that McGregor has not undergone any tests this year. Until Chandler mentioned that Usada had arrived to test him this week, McGregor had also not been tested by the anti-doping agency.
Previously, Usada’s anti-doping partner suggested that McGregor would not be granted an exemption to bypass the mandatory six-month testing requirement. Last year, McGregor withdrew himself from Usada’s testing after fracturing his leg during his defeat against Dustin Poirier. Injured fighters were generally not allowed to remove themselves from testing unless they were retiring.
Chandler and McGregor were scheduled to fight this year following their appearance as rival coaches on the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter TV series. UFC President Dana White had expressed his expectation that the fight would take place before the year’s end. However, McGregor is now facing allegations of sexual assault in the US from a woman who claimed he assaulted her after an NBA game last week.
Chandler remains hopeful about fighting McGregor and suggests that it might occur in early 2024.
