Some Ultimate Fighting Champion fans have expressed doubts over the proposed fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler this year, News About Nigeria reports.
McGregor has till Friday to re-enter the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool which could give him the opportunity to fight Chandler on December 16 or risk it till April or May 2024.
The 34-year-old fighter is expected to undergo six months of compulsory drug testing before stepping foot in the octagon, having been out of the ring for a long time.
He is believed to have at least, 24 hours until the next circle of the test. However, if he would have saved his spot in the UFC 296 bound for December at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Irishman had earlier boasted last month that his issues with USADA were resolved and he would fight Chandler before the end of the year. “That’s done. Year-end, I’m back in that cage having competed. I’m gearing up ready to go,” he said.
However, records on the USADA website show McGregor is yet to re-enter the organization’s testing pool, causing fans to question the possibility of his fight with Chandler holding this year, with only a few hours to the deadline.
Meanwhile, the former two-weight champion recently completed filming season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter alongside Chandler, though he is currently going through a miserable run of form on the reality TV show.
McGregor also recently announced he will be a dad again as the UFC star is expecting his fourth child with fiancee Dee Devlin.
While much is yet to be heard from the fighter on the USADA test, the call for an end of the year reunion with Chandler will officially be called off if he ends up not turning himself in for the test. This would then confirm the hunch of fans while taking back the bout to UFC 300 slated for next year.
