UFC icon Conor McGregor hasn’t been in the USADA pool for well over a year. His decision to leave USADA’s testing pool has been a topic of discussion among fans. However, UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes that McGregor made the right call.
During his hiatus from the cage, McGregor underwent a dramatic body transformation. This has sparked curiosity and speculation among fans.
In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan speculated on the reasons behind McGregor’s departure from the USADA pool. Additionally, he expressed his support for the former two-division champion’s decision.
Rogan said on his podcast: “Let’s speculate. He got out of the USADA testing pool, this is what I would imagine if I was a pro athlete at Conor’s level, you need help. You’re not going to heal off that just eating mangos and f***ing eating clean, you need some help.”
“I would want that person to take something. You’d have to consult with an expert sports medicine doctor who would tell you, ‘You want peptides, you want this, you want that.’ These are things you can’t take when you’re in USADA. You look at Conor after that leg break, he got f***ing jacked.”
With McGregor’s return to the octagon later this year against Michael Chandler, Rogan expresses uncertainty about whether McGregor will be the same competitor he once was. The severity of McGregor’s leg break raises concerns about his ability to bounce back and perform at the same level.
Rogan said: “I’m hoping Conor’s leg is okay. A leg break of that magnitude, Chris Weidman broke his leg in a similar way and he just recently competed in Polaris. For two years, he’s been recovering from this shin break, it’s just brutal. Some guys never bounce back, they’re never the same.”
As McGregor’s comeback match date has yet to be finalized, he has yet to re-enter the USADA pool. UFC and USADA policy require competitors to be in the pool for a minimum of six months before they are eligible to compete. However, the promotion has the authority to waive this requirement if a competitor returns two negative tests.
McGregor recently expressed his frustration with USADA in a fiery Twitter rant.
McGregor wrote: “I’ve not lied once. Nor have I tested positive. Ever. I have over 70 clean tests under this program, yet they are consistently coming out after I speak in a manner that makes it seem I am lying.”
“It’s ridiculous. F**k used. You are in The Bin. Over 70 clean tests. Never violated once. I will not be scapegoated by this garbage organization. You are not the be-all end-all in this equation USADA.”