“Dana Knew This Would Happen”: Fans Lash Out After “Clown” Conor McGregor Fails to Re-Enter USADA Pool Making Him Ineligible to Fight in 2023

Looks like Conor McGregor‘s 2023 fight plans just hit a roadblock! The ‘Notorious’ was going to make a return against Michael Chandler by the end of this year, but it might not happen. McGregor and Chandler appeared as coaches on TUF 31. Along with it, the UFC President also announced that the Irishman would face his rival coach after the show ends.

This news caused a massive uproar of excitement, and fans began the countdown to see the star-studded matchup. However, McGregor isn’t in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) pool yet and cannot fight without getting tested for 6 months. As the deadline for this has passed, it seems the McGregor-Chandler fight is in jeopardy!

Fans react as Conor McGregor misses the USADA deadline

A few days ago, the MMA world got to know that the Irishman would have to enter USADA’s testing pool before 16th June to fight this year. This is because USADA requires all UFC athletes to be in the testing pool for at least 6 months before they can fight. Therefore, to be eligible to fight at UFC 296, UFC’s last PPV of 2023, 16th June was the last date for the Irishman.

McGregor has had his name in the spotlight for the better part of 2023 with fans eagerly waiting to see what he does next. Many were hoping all this media attention and slew of controversies would lead to a blockbuster return to the octagon. Alas all the ‘Mystic Mac’ hype has amounted to just that. Hype. Because according to the USADA UFC Handbook, “Athletes are required to notify the UFC, in writing, of their intent to resume competing and to make themselves available for testing for a period of six months before returning to competition.”

With recent updates, it is confirmed that Conor McGregor has missed the USADA deadline. This means that the former UFC double champ will not be able to fight on 16th December, which is UFC 296’s date bringing the long-drawn-out fiasco to a close. Soon after the news surfaced, fans unleashed their fury over the Irish fighter’s missed USADA deadline.

• “Unpopular opinion: Dana knew this would happen and was just being greedy by letting him coach TUF”
• “Conor is a joke nowadays. Sad”
• “Conor does what the f*ck he wants.”

While the majority chances stand against McGregor currently, there exists a wiggle room wherein exceptions are made. However indefinite or vague it may sound, the handbook states, “UFC may grant an exemption to the six-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances, or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete provided that in either instance the athlete provides a minimum of two negative samples before returning to competition.”

Read More – When Is Conor McGregor’s Next Fight? Will He Return to the UFC in 2023?

A fan commented, “He’s conor mcgregor he should be allowed to just jump back in and fight whenever he wants total bs.” USADA officials, in fact, let out an official tweet a month ago that confirmed his return to the octagon after a hiatus that stretched over two years. Their tweet read, “We have recently been in direct contact with Conor McGregor, and he has confirmed today in the media, we expect to receive his paperwork coming out of retirement and re-entering the USADA testing pool immediately.” Still, there is no sign of Conor.

McGregor has remained adamant about a return later this year. But with strict USADA rules and his absence from their pool, it might be difficult for fans to envision his comeback. Additionally, there aren’t any official details released about the clash. Retired MMA fighter, Chael Sonnen had previously warned fans about the fight being in jeopardy and it seems like he might just be right! After notoriously shattering the hopes around his return, for his followers, it has become “hard to be Connor fan.”

Watch This Story – Conor McGregor Being The Best Daddy In The World