UFC superstar Conor McGregor may not return to the octagon until NEXT YEAR, his manager has revealed.
McGregor, 35, is currently lined up to face Michael Chandler in his comeback fight but a date for their showdown hasn't been finalised.
That's because the Irishman has yet to re-enter the United States Anti-Doping Agency's testing pool – which he must be in for six months before he's eligible to compete.
The MMA mogul recently missed the testing pool deadline to return on the UFC's final pay-per-view card of the year on December 16, although the promotion can still issue him an exemption.
And manager Audie Attar recently revealed The Notorious is now eyeing a 2024 return, telling MMA Junkie: "Conor was one of the most tested athletes when he was competing.
"And we’re going about things the right way.
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"We’re in active discussions with the UFC, we’ve spoken to USADA, and we’re going to do things the right way.
“That’s all I’m going to say about that.
"The thing about Conor McGregor is, people will speculate and stories run wild that are nine times out of 10 very inaccurate and false, so that’s all I’ll say about that.
"But certainly, he’s looking for a comeback in 2024.”
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Despite the growing doubt over his clash with McGregor, Chandler is adamant he'll share the cage with the UFC's poster boy.
But Attar insists the fan favourite isn't a shoo-in to welcome McGregor back to the cage – despite the UFC announcing their showdown back in February.
The Paradigm Sports chief said: "He always could look elsewhere.
“Everybody’s always doubting him in different ways and criticizing him, and being critical.
" But ultimately, they’ll see when he steps into that octagon, and ultimately I think they can eat their words then.
“Until then, we’re just going to do our thing, and go about it the right way.
"He’s preparing at the end of the day, and that’s the most important thing.
"Chandler makes sense, but so do others. But, Chandler is who he has his sights set on.
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"We did that show knowing that that matchup would be next.”
Former two-division champion McGregor hasn't set foot inside the octagon since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier two years ago.
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