Conor McGregor Officially Takes Major Step In Anticipated UFC Return

Conor McGregor just took the biggest step to his long-awaited return, and getting himself back into the UFC octagon.

It's official -- the Irishman submitted his paperwork last week for the USADA testing pool or (drug testing) to return to the UFC.

Conor McGregor has not entered the UFC Octagon since his brutal leg break against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. Now, that's all about to change.

The 'Notorious' shared the email he received from the USADA today, which read, “Dear Conor McGregor, The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would like to take a moment to welcome you back as a member of the UFC Registered Testing Pool (RTP).”

ESPN MMA then confirmed the news in an Instagram post, "Conor McGregor officially re-entered the drug-testing pool as of Sunday, October 8, USADA announced Wednesday."

Although McGregor has officially entered the USADA pool, he failed to meet the USADA drug testing deadline earlier this year to fight MMA star Michael Chandler after the two faced off as coaches in "The Ultimate Teammate".

After the USADA announced McGregor was back in the pool, they also announced they would no longer be associated with the UFC Anti-Doping Program as of January 1, 2024.

“Unfortunately, we do not currently know whether the UFC will ultimately honor the six-month or longer requirement because, as of January 1, 2024, USADA will no longer be involved with the UFC Anti-Doping Program," the USADA said in a statement. "Despite a positive and productive meeting about a contract renewal in May 2023, the UFC did an about-face and informed USADA on Monday, October 9, that it was going in a different direction.”

Earlier today, Chandler trolled McGregor hard as he posed a video to Instagram, mocking his future opponent on “pool” day.

“Pool day…See you at the top!” Chandler captioned the video, which showed a photo of McGregor’s face on top of an individual being thrown into a pool of water.

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The video was obviously aimed at the Irishman, who has been failing to meet the requirements of the USADA to fight Chandler in December. Conor McGregor has, however, officially submitted his paperwork, meaning a fight could happen early next year.

Chandler, on the other hand, has been very open about his drug testing, seemingly hitting the requirements every time it was asked of him.

Prior to Conor McGregor re-entering the USADA pool, the company released a statement, making sure that the public knows the Irishman is not getting any special privileges.

“We have recently been in direct contact with Conor McGregor. As he confirmed today in the media, we expect to receive his paperwork coming out of retirement and re-entering the USADA testing pool immediately.

Like other athletes who come out of retirement, under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, McGregor will be subject to testing for at least six months and must provide at least two negative samples before being permitted to compete.

The purpose of this rule is to ensure that all athletes who are not subject to a period of testing are adequately tested over a reasonable period of time before competing to ensure a level playing field for all athletes.”

Because McGregor did not meet the drug testing deadline earlier this year, it seems the McGregor vs Chandler fight will have to wait until next year. Fans are speculating the big showdown could take place sometime in April 2024.

McGregor previously called out Michael Chandler, and Justin Gaethje and then said he wants to complete the trilogy with a fight against Nate Diaz.

Until McGregor's drug tests come back negative, fans will have to wait to see the 'Notorious" re-enter the Octagon.