Conor McGregor will appear as one of the head coaches in season 31 of the the last fighter, along with Michael Chandler. Following the appearance, the former double champion will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon against the three-time Bellator lightweight champion.
While an official announcement providing details on the upcoming fight has yet to be made, UFC president Dana White has hinted that the fight will take place at lightweight. With Michael Chandler currently as the No. 5 lightweight, it makes sense that the fight would take place at 155 pounds. ‘The Notorious’ has shared that he would like to make another run for a title and a win over a top tier opponent could give him a shot at the belt.
Not much is known about when the fight will take place. Conor McGregor has been out of the USADA testing pool for quite some time, having not been tested since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in 2021. Per USADA guidelines, all fighters must be in the test group for six months and submit at least two test samples to compete.
While the final episode of the last fighter will air on August 15, McGregor is unlikely to return until September, at the earliest. Although he has not been tested, it is currently unclear if he has re-entered USADA’s testing pool.
Sean O’Malley claims Conor McGregor has been using steroids
Conor McGregor has faced allegations of steroid use following his removal from USADA’s testing pool combined with his massive increase in size. Speaking on his podcast, TimboSugarShowSean O’Malley backed up the allegations while questioning what the former double champion will look like on his return, stating:
“[Conor’s] been skipped, too. He wasn’t even in the USADA group, so it doesn’t matter what he’s taking at the time. Obviously you have to be in the USADA group for six months, but imagine being in that shit feeling so fucking good training: you train, you do your shit, you just train and train and train, then you have to drop that to make sure you pass all the tests. and then you don’t feel like training as much.”
There has been much speculation that McGregor used steroids to recover from the broken leg he sustained at UFC 264. While ‘The Notorious’ is eligible to train the last fighter without clearing the test protocols, you will need to do so before entering the octagon.
Watch Sean O’Malley discuss the return of Conor McGregor below (starting at the 1:48 mark):