All the gears finally seem to be shifting in the right direction
for Conor
McGregor’s return to action.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s biggest superstar has been
inactive since July 2021, rehabbing a broken leg sustained in his
trilogy clash against Dustin
Poirier. The Irishman was also absent from the United States
Anti-Doping Agency testing pool since the third quarter of 2021
until recently.
After months of back and forth with the USADA over a six-month
testing window stipulation, McGregor (22-6) finally re-entered the
testing pool on Oct. 8, which makes him eligible to compete in
April 2024. The Dublin native has also now submitted his first test
samples as per online
records. Both blood and urine were seemingly collected, as
there were a total of three samples taken, although the date of
collection wasn’t specified.
McGregor re-entering the pool was soon followed by the news that
the UFC-USADA partnership would conclude at the end of the year, a
split which the testing agency partly blamed on McGregor. However,
UFC executive Hunter
Campbell
denied asking for an exemption for McGregor while blasting
USADA for trying to use the Irishman as a “media vehicle.”
While McGregor submitted his recent sample to USADA, the UFC’s drug
testing program will be
taken over by Drug Free Sport International, with ex-FBI agent
George Piro as the administrator, starting next year.
McGregor was recently in attendance for the crossover boxing super
fight between former UFC heavyweight champ Francis
Ngannou and WBC champ Tyson Fury
in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. The Irishman expressed his frustrations
and eagerness to make a return to the Octagon at the earliest
while
speaking to media on the red carpet.
“I’m happy with April. I would’ve loved it earlier, but if I’m to
be honest and be realistic, for my fans, I want to put in a good
run, build myself back, and that’s it,” McGregor said. “It’s
looking like April, mixed martial arts.”
The former two-division champion also referenced Alexander
Volkanovski‘s recent post-fight comments following UFC 294 in
regardings to his own desire to remain active.
“I’ve been kept from my living for almost three years now.
Understand that. I came through what I came through. I’m sitting on
an injury and a loss,” McGregor said. “You hear what Alexander
Volkanovski said? I relate. I must return to my way of living.
This is my job. It’s beyond frustrating… I just want the date.
Give me the date, please. That’s it.”