Michael Chandler, one half of the new coaches for TUF, alongside the UFC double champ (featherweight, lightweight) Conor McGregor sat down with Brett Okamoto of ESPN and discussed his thought on McGregors doping allegations.
The two will be coaching season 31 which will be airing from May 30, 2023 – August 15, 2023 with a scheduled bout between the two at the end.
But the question, the controversy, the problem, or what have you is, is Conor McGregor fulfilling his mandatory 6 months in the USADA testing pool before being able to compete in a professional scheduled MMA bout in the UFC after removing himself from it.
The concerns of what Conor is/was using seems to have waned and shifted more toward him completing the mandatory 6 months.
As of now, Feb, 6th, 2023 McGregor is still not in the testing pool and has not been for over a year,
Which begs the question, is this fight really going to happen as just one of the many questions everybody is thinking. Which division? How will this be sanctioned if he isn’t in the testing pool in time? Will Conor make it in the pool in time to do the fight? Or will USADA grant him a special exemption?
All of which, are TBD. In a recent interview UFC President stated that “we don’t have a place, or a date”. He went on to further state when asked about when McGregor plans to enter the USADA testing pool and has “no idea”. This was the early morning of February 5th, post UFC Fight Night 218.
@5:11 For McGregor USADA Questions
Michael Chandler seems not too concerned about what everyone else thinks regarding McGregor and his doping allegations, or, if he is taking “extra supplements”, or not for that matter.
When asked if he cared that McGregor has not been tested in over a year and said,
“I honestly could care less, we all train hard, we all hit hard, we all have a certain amount of skills. If there was anything going on, more power to him, that doesn’t change the outcome most likely on fight night”.
Chandler finished by saying, “I want him at his biggest and baddest and best“.
Full interview @25:00 for McGregor Doping Questions.
