Has Conor McGregor been tested by USADA in 2023?

There is a whole lot of confusion regarding Conor McGregor entering the USADA testing pool in 2023. 'The Notorious' has been on the road to recovery since his horrific leg break at UFC 264 in July 2021.

It is rumored that injured athletes take banned substances to facilitate recovery during their time away from the octagon. With McGregor packing on a lot of muscle in his recovery process, it's easy to speculate if 'The Notorious' is on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

According to sports media personality Jed I. Goodman, Conor McGregor's record does not show any sample tests in USADA's testing pool for 2023. Here's what Goodman tweeted:

"As of March 30, Conor McGregor doesn't show any USADA Sample Counts in 2023."

The post contains a screenshot of a table that typically has the names of fighters with a count of their test samples. The table shows no results for 'The Notorious' which means that McGregor hasn't yet entered the testing pool.

Athletes who retire from the sport and make their comeback are required to enter the testing pool for six months before competing. McGregor hasn't retired but has been injured since 2021.

Furthermore, McGregor has stated that he would need just two clean tests to be cleared to return.

McGregor carried out on a stretcher after breaking his leg at UFC 264 [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

According to Beneil Dariush, injured fighters receive therapeutic exemptions from USADA provided that they declare what substances they're taking for recovery. The Iranian-American fighter thinks that McGregor might be cheating.

As of now, filming has wrapped up for 'The Ultimate Fighter' (TUF) 31 featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as coaches. However, no date has been fixed for their bout. TUF 31 will begin airing on May 30.

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"Beneil 'The D****e' Dariush" - Conor McGregor responds to Beneil Dariush's accusations of him cheating

Conor McGregor is not one to sit back and take jibes from anyone. If you've said anything scathing or distasteful about 'The Notorious', you can expect a prompt reply from the Irishman.

Beneil Dariush appeared in an interview with 'The Schmo', where he accused 'The Notorious' of cheating. He also thinks that therapeutic exemptions from USADA are "BS."

Not taking too kindly to the No.3-ranked lightweight's accusations, McGregor put out the following tweet, which he later deleted:

McGregor's response to Beneil Dariush [Image courtesy: @TheNotoriousMMA (Twitter)]

No date has been specified yet for the return of 'The Notorious' to the octagon, although he is expected to face Michael Chandler after TUF 31 finishes airing at the end of August.

Meanwhile, Beneil Dariush will face Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 288 on May 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.