Conor McGregor closes in on UFC return by re-entering Usada pool

Conor McGregor took another step towards returning to UFC by re-entering the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) testing programme. The 35-year-old has not fought since July 2021 when he was beaten by Dustin Poirier for a second time and suffered a broken leg. He has been out of the Usada testing pool since, but the agency announced he has re-entered. It said in a statement: “We can confirm that Conor McGregor has re-entered the USADA testing pool as of Sunday, October 8, 2023. “We have been clear and firm with the UFC that there should be no exception given by the UFC for McGregor to fight until he has returned two negative tests and been in the pool for at least six months. “The rules also allow Usada to keep someone in the testing pool longer before competing based on their declarations upon entry in the pool and testing results.” “The Notorious” has been rumoured to fight Michael Chandler before the end of the year but that will not happen until April 2024 at the earliest due to Usada’s rules. Read More AI scouting app gives players chance to be noticed in the professional game Josh Magennis determined to keep giving his all for Northern Ireland Andy Farrell feels Ireland are becoming better at handling pressure