Dana White Gives Latest Update On Conor McGregor's UFC Return

Conor McGregor is getting ready for his much-anticipated return to the UFC.

He has not been inside the octagon since he suffered a brutal leg break against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021.

Conor McGregor took to his Instagram earlier this week to announce that he has submitted paperwork to UFC's Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, Jeff Novitzky.

The UFC fighter also spoke to reporters on Friday (while he was promoting a fight), admitting he is "all set" with the USADA and expects to be back in the octagon by the end of the year.

"That's done, my man," McGregor told the reporters. "That's done. Year-end, I'm back in that cage, having competed. I'm gearing up, ready to go."

If McGregor wanted to fight by the end of the year, he had to have been back in the USADA pool by June 1 as he needed to submit two negative tests and complete random drug tests for the next six months before being allowed to fight.

It was announced earlier this year that Conor McGregor would coach the 31st "The Ultimate Fighter" season against Michael Chandler, with the two facing off at a later pay-per-view event. However, a concrete date has yet to be announced because McGregor has yet to enter the USADA pool.

It seems Michael Chandler is tired of waiting for the Irish fighter, as he recently called out another MMA star -- Nate Diaz.

The 37-year-old recently spoke out on The MMA Hour, calling out Conor McGregor for wasting everyone's time with their supposed matchup in December.

"There are some moments where I'm like, is Conor coming back?" Chandler admitted on The MMA Hour. "You know? Is he just trolling us all? Is he a real fighter anymore? Is he a real fighter?"

Michael Chandler is tired of waiting for 'The Notorious' and wants to fight a "real fighter" — Nate Diaz. "Then, you think about who's a real fighter; Nate Diaz is a real fighter. I'm a real fighter," Chandler added.

After McGregor announced he had submitted his paperwork, UFC President Dana White confirmed the news.

"No, he is not officially in the USADA testing pool. He submitted the paperwork, and probably he will be submitted by Monday," White told reporters. "Again, don't hold me to that, but the paperwork is submitted - next week sometime."

However, White also noted that at this time, McGregor has no fights lined up -- including the one that was supposed to happen with Michael Chandler following "The Ultimate Fighter.""

"I literally have nothing planned for Conor McGregor right now. The paperwork is being submitted; we'll play it by ear and see how things play out. There are still a lot of things that have to happen as far as fights go, and then we'll decide where is going to land," White concluded.