Amidst Conor McGregor’s USADA Woes, Dana White Makes Concerning Statement on Ex-UFC Champ’s Return Against Michael Chandler – “It’s Hard to…”

During the post-fight press conference for UFC on ESPN 46, UFC president Dana White avoided addressing the status of booking a fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler directly. McGregor, who has been sidelined since July 2021 due to a leg injury, was expected to make his comeback later this year against Chandler after the conclusion of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 31’ reality show. However, there is a major hurdle to overcome—the requirement for McGregor to enter the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency testing pool and pass two clean drug tests over a six-month period before he can return to the octagon.

USADA has expressed its anticipation of receiving McGregor’s paperwork in the near future. However, there has been no confirmation regarding his re-entry into the testing pool. This uncertainty has raised doubts about whether the McGregor vs. Chandler matchup will indeed take place or not. When asked about his concerns regarding the situation, Dana White provided an ambiguous response.

Dana White provides an update on the bout between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler

The UFC boss was talking in the post-fight press conference of UFC on ESPN 46. During the conference, a reporter asked about the updates on McGregor-Chandler’s bout. As a reply, White said, “Conor called me a couple days ago and loved the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter. I’m saying how happy he was that he was a part of it and I think being here in the environment and everything else, you know. He felt it again and felt like he wants to get back and fight.“

He further added, “The one thing that you guys have to understand is this kid has so much money. It’s like Khabib now. It’s like these guys got sh*tloads of money and it’s hard to, you know it’s hard to reel these guys back in and get them fired up to get in a fight.“White didn’t hesitate to say that fighters like Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are not incentivized by money. Hence, their zest to fight has come down drastically.

Nevertheless, when can fans expect the fight to materialize?

Can ‘ The Notorious’ versus ‘Iron’ come to fruition?

At the moment, the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter has already aired. Fans are excited to see ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Iron’ lock horns as coaches. However, the MMA community hopes to see the two fighters face each other inside the UFC octagon after the end of the season. The only obstacle that lies in the path of the bout is McGregor’s not entering the USADA testing pool. It is important for the Irishman to clear the test to return to the octagon.

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The UFC superstar expected special treatment from the anti-doping agency. However, USADA made it clear that ‘The Notorious’ should go through the processes followed by each fighter. This resulted in issues between the two parties. Nonetheless, the fans can still hope that McGregor will sort out the issues and might join the testing pool soon. What do you make of White’s comments regarding the fight? Let us know in the comments section below.

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