A U.F.C. pay-per-view card is not complete without on update on the company’s biggest star, Conor McGregor.
This weekend marks two years since the brash Irishman last fought in the octagon, when he broke his left leg in the first round of a fight against Dustin Poirier. Since then, McGregor has recovered and released a Netflix documentary and founded a new stout beer. But amid his new business ventures, McGregor’s return to fighting is still unclear.
He served as a coach for the current season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality television tournament where prospective fighters compete for a U.F.C. contract. McGregor’s presence allowed for this season’s program to be aired weekly on prime time on ESPN, an unusually favorable slot for the show.
As is tradition, the opposing coaches are supposed to fight each other, meaning McGregor should face the Michael Chandler, the No. 5 ranked lightweight contender. But a bout has not been scheduled. Dana White, the U.F.C. president, said McGregor has yet to enter the United States Anti-Doping Agency testing pool, which is required for U.F.C. athletes.
White said he is confident the fight with Chandler will happen, but is uncertain of the timing.
“It’s just a matter of when,” White said in an interview. “We’re working on it. Obviously it’s an important fight coming off ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ which is airing on ESPN, so we will get this done.”
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