LONDON – Audie Attar doesn’t seem to indicate that Conor McGregor will go through any loopholes in his comeback.
After recently wrapping up Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite Michael Chandler, which continues to air Tuesdays on ESPN until Aug. 15, McGregor is expected to square off with Chandler. “The Notorious” hasn’t competed since breaking his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
However, according to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) online testing database, McGregor has not yet submitted a sample in 2023. He’s required to be in the testing pool for six months prior to a fight unless the UFC grants an exemption. McGregor’s manager Attar says they’ve been speaking to USADA, and things appear to be trending in the right direction.
“One of the things everybody forgets is that Conor was one of the most tested athletes when he was competing, and we’re going about things the right way,” Attar told MMA Junkie. “We’re in active discussions with the UFC, we’ve spoken to USADA, and we’re going to do things the right way.
“That’s all I’m going to say about that. The thing about Conor McGregor is, people will speculate and stories run wild that are nine times out of 10 very inaccurate and false, so that’s all I’ll say about that. But certainly, he’s looking for a comeback in 2024.”
Many lightweights have told Chandler to give up on his pursuit of fighting McGregor, and while Attar doesn’t guarantee that Chandler is the fight, he says that’s the opponent McGregor has been putting his focus on.
“He always could look elsewhere,” Attar said. “Everybody’s always doubting him in different ways and criticizing him, and being critical. But ultimately, they’ll see when he steps into that octagon, and ultimately I think they can eat their words then.
“Until then, we’re just going to do our thing, and go about it the right way. He’s preparing at the end of the day, and that’s the most important thing. Chandler makes sense, but so do others. But, Chandler is who he has his sights set on. We did that show knowing that that matchup would be next.”
So when can fans expect McGregor to return? Attar says likely in the beginning of 2024.
“You can’t rule out the end of the year, but I think just in terms of where we are right now in terms of the date, it’s likely going to be 2024,” Attar said. “I think that’s what the UFC has their sights set on so, we’ll see kind of exactly when that will be.”
