Conor McGregor still hasn’t re-entered UFC anti-doping program, needs six months of testing before fighting again

Conor McGregor still has some work to do before he can fight again.

On Saturday, UFC president Dana White announced that McGregor was set to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler with the lightweights this expected to clash before the end of the year. Before he can fight, McGregor still needs to re-enter the UFC’s anti-doping program, which requires six months of drug testing before an athlete is allowed to compete again.

As of now, McGregor still hasn’t re-submitted himself for testing.

“As we’ve confirmed before, as of today, Conor McGregor has not been reenrolled in the USADA testing pool, which he would have to be in for a minimum of six months and have at least two negative tests prior to any competition,” United States Anti-Doping Agency representatives said in a statement to MMA Fighting.

“For all the obvious reasons, coaches are not in our testing pool and there is no requirement for him or other coaches to be in the testing pool just to coach. If there is eventually a plan for the coaches to fight each other, then he would have to be in the testing pool at least six months and have two negative tests before any fight.”

Fighters can be given an exemption to the six months of required testing but McGregor will still have plenty of time to get back in the drug testing pool prior to his next fight, which won’t likely take place until the latter part of 2023.

Filming on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter is expected to start soon with the show debuting on May 30 and running through Aug. 15. McGregor and Chandler would then fight, although no date has been confirmed for when that could take place.

The six months of required testing means McGregor could still re-enter the UFC’s anti-doping program as late as March and still compete in September, assuming he returns at least two negative tests during that time.

McGregor initially pulled himself out of the USADA testing pool after he suffered a devastating broken leg in his most recent fight against Dustin Poirier in 2021. Since that time, McGregor has been recovering and rehabilitating the leg while also recently filming his first major role in the upcoming Road House reboot starring Gyllenhaal.

McGregor will soon fly to Las Vegas to film the reality show opposite Chandler before booking his first fight in more than two years.