Michael
Chandler is seemingly unbothered by Conor
McGregor’s lengthy absence from the drug testing pool and the
rumors that have accompanied that time away.
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McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy clash
with Dustin
Poirier in 2021 and dropped out of the drug testing pool in the
third quarter of the year. The Irishman was expected to return to
action against Michael Chandler last year following the completion
of “The Ultimate Fighter 31,” where the two starred as rival
coaches.
However, among other moving pieces, McGregor’s delay in returning
to the testing pool appeared to be a major reason behind his
absence from competition. The Irishman went back and forth with the
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency before returning to the testing pool but
not before the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that the
promotion would be
parting ways with USADA and partnering with Drug Free Sport
International at the start of 2024. USADA pointed to the McGregor
controversy for bringing about the change, which was vehemently
refuted by UFC executives.
Regardless, McGregor’s long absence from testing and the seeming
hesitation in returning to the pool was enough to ignite rumors
regarding alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. However,
Chandler is not concerned with the allegations. It’s worth noting
McGregor has never failed a drug test during his UFC tenure.
“Not really. You know I mean everybody is on their own journey and
everybody has their different ways that they would do things,”
Chandler told TMZ Sports. “Obviously, I’ve always looked at
[PEDs] as a crutch. If there was something that somebody would be
able to take while they weren’t being drug tested, compared to when
they were, to me that would be nothing but a mental hurdle to get
over.”
McGregor recently announced that he’ll be fighting Chandler during
International Fight Week in June at middleweight. Chandler doesn’t
have an issue with fighting McGregor at any weight class.
“I’m cool with whatever weight. The way I see it, Conor and I are
within a couple of pounds of each other. So, it doesn’t matter if
we cut weight all the way down to 155, we fight at 170, or we fight
at 185…We’re the same size guys. I don’t need to bulk up to
200-something pounds to get down to 185, it’s just not how I would
operate in this training camp. So, I’m excited about it if it is
185.”