"It's not gonna make a difference" - Michael Chandler discusses the "grey area" surrounding Conor McGregor's USADA timeline

Conor McGregor was not in attendance at UFC 292 last night, unlike his opposite number Michael Chandler, where the season finale for The Ultimate Fighter 31 took place.

The pair were announced as the respective coaches for TUF 31 earlier this year, and were expected to meet in the octagon following the season finale. However, complications surrounding the Irishman's re-entry into the USADA testing pool has led to speculation that the bout may not happen.

The anti-doping agency has stipulated that Conor McGregor will need to enter the pool for a minumum of six months before being cleared to fight. 'The Notorious' have yet to re-enter the pool, and many do not expect his return to happen this year.

But Michael Chandler isn't bothered about how many months 'The Notorious' is in the USADA testing pool for, as long as he gets tested before their fight.

'Iron' appeared in front of the media at UFC 292, where he was asked if he was keeping tabs on Conor McGregor's re-entry. He said this:

"I signed with the promotion in September 2020 and I could have fought in October 2020, so this whole, 'He's retired so it takes six months to come back.' I mean, are we splitting hairs here? To me, as long as a man is in the USADA testing pool for months on end, and he has the ability to be tested multiple times a day for a certain period, it's a sport. That to me is a very interesting grey area and ultimately I'm out here and I can fight Conor with one day in the USADA testing pool, or a year in the testing pool. It's not gonna make a difference."

Watch the video below from 9:45:

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Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler go back-and-forth online

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler have continued to engage in a war of words online following the conclusion of season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter. The pair shared several heated moments during the show, and their beef has now migrated to X (formerly Twitter).

'The Notorious' took aim at Chandler out of the blue, telling 'Iron' the following:

"Chandler I'm gonna break your head."

Chandler responded with this:

"Cool story... I'm waiting on you kid."

See the tweets below:

Conor McGregor's return to the sport will be as anticipated as any fighter's in living memory. 'The Notorious' has been out of action since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July, 2021.

Whilst the timeline of the Irishman's return is unknown, UFC president Dana White recently shared an update regarding McGregor's comeback fight.