CONOR MCGREGOR won’t be back in the octagon until April at the earliest after he leaves the USADA drug testing pool.
Speculation about that of the Irishman UFC future arose last month when it turned out was not tested for drugs this year.
4
4
4
4
And when asked if The Notorious should be in the test pool for six months before returning, UFC president said Dana White said: “Yes [he’ll have to be in it for six months.]
After being asked whether McGregor34, “cannot return for six months,” he added: “Yes.”
Fighters competing under the banner of the UFC are required to participate in the United States’ random drug testing program year-round.
Those who retire and want to fight again must be in the test pool for a minimum of six months before they can participate.
However, the UFC has the option to waive the six-month written cancellation rule in “exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be clearly unfair to the athlete.”
The UFC could choose to waive the six-month enrollment requirement to allow McGregor to return to the octagon before April.
But he will have to pass two negative drug tests to get out of the six-month testing period.
The UFC waived a four-month test pool requirement in 2016 to: Brock Lesnar to return to the octagon at UFC 200.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100S GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Terms and Conditions apply)
However, that decision backfired when the former heavyweight champion failed his post-fight drug test — he tested positive for anti-estrogen drugs Clomiphene and Letrozole.
Former two-division champion McGregor hasn’t set foot in the octagon since then suffered a horribly broken leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last July.
The Dubliner was expected to return to action in the autumn, but recently revealed that his kick isn’t quite 100 per cent.
When asked about McGregor’s role in the upcoming Road House remake, manager Tim Simpson said: “Acting wasn’t something I think Conor had at all in his mind, right now he’s still a world-class athlete and his focus is on the best fighter in the world.
“But as the injury continues to heal and he continues to prepare for a comeback, the timing worked well.
“It’s a great opportunity to make a big Hollywood blockbuster in the meantime and he’s going to kill it.
“He is still on track for a big return next year, but in the meantime this fits perfectly.
“The leg is still healing. I think there’s still a little bit more going on, but he’s been training like crazy. Twice a day, every day.”
“He’s been training super hard, he’s in great shape, it’s just the final adjustments to get that leg where it’s supposed to be.”