UFC president Dana White recently confirmed that Conor McGregor, one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts, has submitted documentation to rejoin the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The move signifies a significant step for the Irishman’s return to the Octagon. McGregor, a former two-division champion, has been out of competition for over two years, healing from a broken leg sustained during a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier.
McGregor, also known as “Notorious,” stated that he had completed the process required to reenter the USADA’s testing pool. This statement was ratified by Dana White, confirming that McGregor would officially rejoin the testing pool in the coming week. “He’s not officially in the USADA pool. He submitted the paperwork; probably by Monday it’ll be submitted,” White said.
McGregor has been hinting at a comeback before the year is out, an ambitious timeline considering it would necessitate him receiving special permission from USADA to bypass a compulsory six-month testing period. Alternatively, if he abides by the six-month testing period, his comeback could potentially coincide with UFC’s major event, UFC 300, scheduled for the following spring. When asked if this was a possibility, White was ambiguous, noting that nothing concrete had been decided regarding McGregor’s career path. He stated, “I literally have nothing planned with Conor McGregor right now. The paperwork is being submitted, we’ll play it by ear, see how things work out. There’s still a lot of things that have to happen as far as fights go. Then we’ll decide where he’s going to land.”