UFC fans doubt Conor McGregor will fight Michael Chandler this year as he is yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool.
McGregor, 34, has until Friday to enter the pool that requires fighters to undergo six months of mandatory drug testing before stepping foot in the octagon. If he does make the deadline, the Irishman will be eligible to fight at UFC 296 which is expected to take place on December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
'Notorious' told Mirror Fighting last month that his issues with USADA were resolved and he would fight Chandler before the end of the year. "That's done. Year end, I'm back in that cage having competed. I'm gearing up ready to go," he said. Records on USADA's website show McGregor is yet to re-enter the organisation's testing pool and fans are now convinced his fight with Chandler will not go ahead this year.
Do you think Conor McGregor will fight this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
One comment read: "He is not fighting - and we all know it." Another user added: "People still think Conor and Chandler are gonna fight. He's been talked about more than any other fighters despite not fighting this year, probably be same the same well after he retires" with a third comment reading: "He’s never fighting again. He likes the idea of it, but he has no reason to. He has way too much money now."
Some fans think McGregor's fight against Chandler will be pushed back to UFC 300, an event that will likely take place in April or May of 2024. "I could see Conor and the brass waiting for UFC 300," a user theorised. "I don't see them trying to put UFC 300 together without him and I doubt they'll risk trying to have him 296 then hope he's ready for 300," another wrote.
McGregor recently announced he will be a dad again as the UFC star is expecting his fourth child with fiancee Dee Devlin. The former two-weight champion recently completed filming for season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter alongside Chandler, but he is currently going through a miserable run of form on the reality TV show.
In the opening three episodes of the show, McGregor's team of veterans all lost their respective fights. Lightweight fighter Austin Hubbard sent Team McGregor's Aaron McKenzie to the hospital after their fight in this week's episode. McGregor has also been questioned by fans for his training methods and injury advice, as he told McKenzie to simply "throw away" an injury he was suffering from before his fight.
