Dustin Poirier, a prominent figure in the UFC, shared his thoughts regarding Conor McGregor's possible comeback to the octagon in December.
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Dustin Poirier, a prominent figure in the UFC, shared his thoughts regarding Conor McGregor’s possible comeback to the octagon in December.
Since suffering a leg injury in his trilogy bout against Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, McGregor has not participated in the testing pool. Records from the US Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) website indicate that he has not provided a drug testing sample since that time.
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In accordance with UFC regulations, McGregor is required to undergo six months of mandatory drug testing before being eligible for a fight. However, he has not yet enrolled in the testing program. Despite this, McGregor has revealed his intention to face Michael Chandler in December. The only way for this fight to take place would be if he is granted an exemption.
Poirier has shared his perspective on this matter, expressing his belief that granting an exemption to McGregor would undermine the credibility of USADA.
“I like USADA, and I do think they’re doing a good job of cleaning up our sport,” Poirier told MMA News. “But for me, if they waive that (six-month testing period) and allow him to compete with no drug testing, it kind of just makes a joke of the whole thing.
“Just remove it completely. There shouldn’t be grey areas. It’s white and black with USADA, you take tests and pass them, you’re able to compete. You don’t take tests, you don’t compete.
“There was never a grey area before. We’ll see what happens. I’m not sh*tting on the UFC, I’m not sh*tting on USADA. I don’t want to accuse or say things about either company without them making an official decision.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do with Conor and the drug testing thing. But if they do allow him to compete without drug testing, they’re making a whole joke of USADA.”
It’s important to highlight that a UFC fighter can only be exempted from the mandatory drug-testing program under “exceptional circumstances.” A precedent for this approach was set when former UFC star Brock Lesnar utilized this defense to participate on short notice against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in 2016.
Nonetheless, even though Lesnar initially secured a unanimous decision victory, the outcome was subsequently changed to a no-contest following his failure of both an out-of-competition and an in-fight drug test.
Poirier isn’t alone in expressing concern about McGregor’s potential return without adhering to the proper procedures. Daniel Cormier previously raised questions about the possible USADA exemption for McGregor.
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