USADA: McGregor likely requires 6 months in testing pool before return

UFC's Conor McGregor will likely require to be in USADA's drug-testing pool for six months before returning to the Octagon, the anti-doping organization told ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

McGregor isn't currently in the testing pool, USADA adds.

The UFC can grant an exemption in rare cases, but USADA doesn't expect the promotion to give McGregor one.

The former featherweight and lightweight champion's last appearance in the UFC came in July 2021, when he broke his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier.

McGregor tweeted earlier this week that he'd be "clear for testing" in February.

The UFC superstar has lost three of his last four UFC fights dating back to 2018.