- Conor McGregor has not been drug-tested since the year 2022 began
- USADA officials commented on the issue but not specifically on the Irish fighter’s case
Despite being sidelined, Conor McGregor, for obvious reasons, is still regularly making headlines in the sport. While more often than not, “The Notorious” is being linked to a fellow big-name fighter, the latest news about McGregor seemingly implies quite a conspiracy involving USADA.
Facts first
It all started when the official data from USADA revealed that McGregor hasn’t undergone a single random test until this very moment. As expected, the fact that such a huge UFC draw never got tested all these time sparked controversy.
USADA Responds
It didn’t take long for USADA to address the issue as the organization recently offered a statement to TSN.
According to USADA, they strictly follow specific rules about drug testing. Though they did not mention anything specific about McGregor, USADA emphasized that the same procedures will be done in the event that an inactive UFC fighter makes his return.
“Once UFC athletes are enrolled in the testing program, they are subject to testing – even when not competing – unless they notify the UFC of their retirement, their contract is terminated, or they are otherwise removed from the program,” USADA officials wrote in the statement.
“In the event of an athlete’s return to the UFC, they are required to remain in the USADA testing pool for six months before they are permitted to compete. Similar to World Anti-Doping Agency rules, the UFC may grant an exemption to the six-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete, but in both cases under the UFC rules, the athlete must provide at least two negative samples before returning to competition. We do not comment on the testing pool status of any particular athlete,” the statement read.
Whether McGregor will be tested in the coming days is yet to be known but it’s safe to say that it’s unlikely to happen soon. Currently, the former UFC two-division champ is filming with the production staff of his upcoming movie alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, “Road House” in the Dominican Republic. McGregor has kept his followers posted on social media as he constantly posts photos and clips from the set where he appears to have bulked up more muscles on his already swole physique.
McGregor has yet to make his UFC comeback since suffering a gruesome leg injury at UFC 264 last year. With an issue with USADA now linked to McGregor’s name, fans will have another intriguing news to follow apart from the Irish MMA superstar’s much-awaited return.
