Conor McGregor has reassured fans he is preparing for his planned UFC comeback fight against Michael Chandler.
Former two-weight champion McGregor, 34, is gearing up for his first fight in over two years against former Bellator world champion Chandler. The fight is expected to take place at UFC 296 on December 16 in Las Vegas, but this date has been put in jeopardy as McGregor is yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool to complete six months of mandatory drug testing before his return.
Fans are worried McGregor won't fight Chandler because of a lack of training footage on his social media accounts. The Irishman has maintained that he is serious about fighting Chandler, as he tweeted: "I look forward to my upcoming fight. I am well in preparation."
McGregor recently filmed alongside Chandler on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, but he is currently going through a dismal run of form on the reality TV show. Team McGregor is without a win in five fights as Chandler is edging closer each week towards a clean sweep over his rival.
Fans wrote of McGregor's recent fight update: "TUF would be a lot more interesting with a fight announcement." Another added: But is your fight against Chandler, and have you entered the USADA testing pool?" A third comment read: "We won't believe you are fighting until the press conference takes place."
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McGregor hasn't fought since suffering a horror leg break in his July 2021 trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. If his comeback fight takes place next year instead of December, four years would have passed since his last UFC win. Chandler has been far more active than his rival as he fought three times in 2021 and twice last year.
There is still a chance McGregor could fight at the end of this year despite records on USADA's website showing that he is yet to submit a test since the third quarter of 2021. USADA has not responded to queries regarding McGregor's status in their testing pool and an athlete's six month window opens on the date of re-enrolment, not the submission date of their first test sample.
