Conor McGregor could face a six-month wait to face Michael Chandler despite announcing his UFC comeback fight.
The Irishman has not fought since breaking his leg in a defeat by Dustin Poirier in July 2021 but has made a return to full MMA training. Since his time away from competition, McGregor has ballooned in weight and is expected to make a comeback at 170lb, with his large frame seen as the biggest hint.
Late last year, McGregor was told he would face a wait of up to six months from the date he registers in the USADA drug-testing pool before he can compete again. However, on Saturday, it was announced that the former two-weight champion will return at the end of the UFC's latest series of The Ultimate Fighter against Chandler.
The potential showdown at the end of the pair's coaching stints may not take place until August, with the organisation confirming he is yet to register within the pool. “As we’ve confirmed before, as of today, Conor McGregor has not been reenrolled in the USADA testing pool, which he would have to be in for a minimum of six months and have at least two negative tests prior to any competition,” USADA said in a statement to MMA Fighting.
There are several big dates being thrown around for the pair to clash which could include in November, but an official date and venue have yet to be confirmed by UFC president Dana White. McGregor has won just three of his last four fights in the promotion and has suffered a significant decline in form since 2016.
It has been a period of extensive rehabilitation for the UFC superstar, who previously claimed he could use a loophole in the USADA drug-testing system to return earlier than planned. However, a fight late in summer looks like it would make sense now filming has finished for his appearance in a remake of Hollywood classic 'Road House'.
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Chandler has been relentlessly campaigning to receive the call to meet McGregor in the Octagon, and even suggested the pair meet at 170lb. Now after receiving his call, Chandler believes a late fight would give time for the hugely-anticipated event to build hype through their documented team battle.
"Conor is the fight that I wanted, he has expressed interest in wanting to fight me and now here we are," Chandler said on his YouTube channel. "The competition starts right now. We're going to be stuck together in the same city for a month, or month and a half, but the competition is 24/7 the entire time. I want to win this thing; I don't want to beat Conor later this year, I want to beat Conor badly on TUF. I don't even want him to win a fight."
