Conor McGregor reveals planned return by the end of 2023 after resolving USADA issues

Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor is one step closer to his return.

‘The Notorious’ has been out of the octagon since his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. In the third battle between former champions, McGregor broke his leg in the final seconds of round one. Due to the devastating leg injury, he’s been out of action for nearly two years.

However, he’s now aiming for a return later this year against Michael Chandler. The two coached the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, which is supposed to premiere later this month. The only issue is that there’s no scheduled bout between the two, mainly due to McGregor’s USADA issues.

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The former champion famously left the USADA testing pool following his leg break. While McGregor has stated that he’d only need two negative tests to return, that isn’t the case. Unless the Irishman has an exception he would need to be randomly tested by USADA for six months before the fight.

In an interview with Mirror Fighting, Conor McGregor gave an update on his USADA issues. There, the former champion stated that the situation has been resolved. Furthermore, McGregor stated that he would return by the end of the year, with the date being revealed during The Ultimate Fighter.

(via Phil Lambert/BKFC)

“That’s done man,” Conor McGregor stated to a question about enrolling in the USADA testing pool. “That’s done. I’m ready, by year-end, I’m back in that cage having competed. I’m gearing up now, ready to go.”

He continued, “The fight’s signed now, yeah. It’ll be announced during The Ultimate Fighter. So The Ultimate Fighter is airing in a few days on ESPN, by the time that show finishes we’ll have a date and everything set for the fans.”

What do you make of these comments? Are you excited about Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler? Who do you think will win? Sound off in the comment section below PENN Nation!