Conor McGregor is officially back. The former UFC double champ has been on an injury-induced hiatus for over 2 years but no more. The biggest factor impeding his Octagon return was the tussle with the US Anti-Doping Agency. After a promising update a few days ago, the Irishman has officially confirmed that he is well on his way back.

There is a ubiquitous feeling among fans this is not the same, hungry fighter he was when he was coming up. A fact even UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged when he spoke about money changing everything in reference to ‘Notorious’. But, in the combat sports world, there is no better way to redeem oneself than winning. All it takes to change the narrative, no matter how adversarial, is a couple of stellar performances in the Octagon. And the Irishman may have the opportunity to do just that. After months of uncertainty, the timeline for ‘Mac’s return seems to be taking shape as he enters the USADA testing pool.

Conor McGregor shares confirmation of USADA entry

Conor McGregor had revealed recently that he had submitted the paperwork to re-enter the USADA testing pool. In a post on his Twitter (X) account, he shared a screenshot showing the part of the e-mail of the anti-doping body confirming his re-entry to the pool. McGregor has been out of the UFC and the testing pool since breaking his leg at UFC 264 two years ago, in a loss to Dustin Poirier.

“Dear Conor McGregor,
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would like to take a moment to welcome you back as a member of the UFC Registered Testing Pool (RTP). Since you…” the email screenshot read.

Fans react to the return of the ‘Mac’

Fans took to Twitter (X) and expressed their thoughts on McGregor re-entering the testing pool. Here are some of the comments they left in replies to his tweet.

One fan welcomed the development:

Another simply stated that he was back:

One fan wanted his comeback welterweight bout against Michael Chandler to be held at UFC 300:

Read more: “Mate U Only Got 1 Point”- Conor McGregor’s “Desperate” Attempt to Break the Punching Machine Amid ‘Defeating USADA’ Has Fans in Splits

Another fan had a very special venue in mind for the special occasion:

One user felt McGregor had gone through a doping cycle and had re-entered the pool after going clean and getting it out of his system:

Another cheekily completed the partial last sentence of the email screenshot:

Another thought USADA would knock on his door any minute for a sample:

Clearly, fans are excited for McGregor’s return, as was expected. He is, after all, the most popular star in the history of the UFC and MMA. However, it is important to remember that USADA rules mandate a minimum of six months in its pool before a fighter can fight in the UFC. This means we would have to wait at least until April next year to see him make his comeback and face rival TUF 31 coach Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout.

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