McGregor reportedly being drug tested again in preparation for UFC comeback

Conor McGregor is serious about getting on that UFC White House card … serious enough to submit to random drug testing again.

“The Notorious” has had a unique history in relation to the UFC drug testing programs. He technically retired after his leg injury in 2021 and was removed from the USADA drug testing pool so he could take advantage of the full scope of medical treatments available for his shattered tibia and fibula. He re-entered in October 2023 with a stated desire to compete at UFC 300, but never managed to get back in the cage.

Somewhere around September 2024, McGregor stopped getting tested by USADA replacement DFSI. It’s been ten months since he’s appeared in the database, so it’s safe to say he removed himself from the pool again. But according to his business partner David Feldman of Bare Knuckle FC (BKFC), the Mac is back in the pool.

“He’s got two fights left on his [UFC] contract. He’s got to get right,” Feldman said of a potential McGregor run in BKFC.

“He told me in person,” Feldman added. “He whispered in my ear, he said, ‘I’m in the testing pool. I’m getting ready to make my comeback. I’m going to fight on that big card, then I’m going to have another fight, and then we can talk.’”

‘That big card’ is the 4th of July UFC card on the South Lawn of the White House for America 250 that Donald Trump announced last week. McGregor is a big fan of Trump and spent St. Patrick’s Day at the White House. Shortly after, he announced he planned on running for president of Ireland.

While he’s spent a whole lot of time stumping for the position on X (formerly Twitter), there’s no evidence he’s managed to make any progress getting 20 members of Irish parliament to sponsor him.

Returning to the UFC is easy in comparison. All he has to do is be in the DFSI testing pool for six months, sign a bout agreement with the UFC, and stay healthy through a fight camp. It’s still a massive question mark as to whether he’ll do it. He hasn’t done it in the past two years he was healthy and capable, so at this point people are rightfully skeptical.

And for those worried McGregor will pop for recreational drug use immediately? Most of those drugs aren’t illegal out of competition, which means Conor can continue to show up at BKFC events stimulated to the hilt right up until a future hypothetical fight week arrives.