USADA has issued a statement on why Conor McGregor hasn’t been tested in 2022.
The USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) can’t comment on any specific athlete’s participation in the UFC’s anti-doping program or on those who have been removed from the testing pool.
USADA officials did however offer the following statement to ‘MMA Fighting‘ when asked about Conor McGregor’s status:
“Once UFC athletes are enrolled in the testing program, they are subject to testing – even when not competing – unless they notify the UFC of their retirement, their contract is terminated, or they are otherwise removed from the program.”
“In the event of an athlete’s return to the UFC, they are required to remain in the USADA testing pool for six months before they are permitted to compete. Similar to World Anti-Doping Agency rules, the 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 the athlete, but in both cases under the UFC rules, the athlete must provide at least two negative samples before returning to competition. We do not comment on the testing pool status of any particular athlete.”
Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA) has been out of commission ever since he suffered a broken leg in his bout with Dustin Poirier (28-7 MMA) at UFC 264 in July of 2021.
The Irishman is expected to return to the Octagon in the 1st quarter of 2023.
‘Notorious’ was one of the most tested athletes in 2021, with 11 samples taken from January thru July of that year. McGregor has not been tested by the USADA in 2022.
USADA’s policy indicates that all athletes enrolled in the program are subject to testing at any time. It is also made clear that decisions on when and how often testing occurs is up to the USADA and depends on a number of factors.
Per USADA’s website, those factors include:
- Physical demands of the sport and possible performance-enhancing effect that doping may elicit
- Available doping analysis statistics
- Available research on doping trends
- History of doping in the sport and/or discipline
- Training periods and the competition calendar
- Information received on possible doping practices
McGregor has stepped away from fighting while rehabilitating and training, and is currently filming a starring role in the upcoming movie production ‘Road House‘ with Jake Gyllenhaal.
There has been much attention drawn to the Irishman for pictures he’s posted to social media where he looks to have really ‘bulked up’, having fans and others questioning if he is in fact using PED’s.
Time will tell, and obviously the USADA has not started testing McGregor yet, but that will all change when he announces a date for his return to the Octagon in 2023.
Do you believe Conor McGregor is using performance enhancing drugs? Who would you like to see ‘Notorious’ fight next?
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