Former UFC Double Champion Conor McGregor has once again got entailed in a controversy after reports emerged that he hasn’t been tested by USADA this year. After some fans pointed it out a few weeks ago, MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter reported in detail on the matter. USADA provided a somewhat unclear statement addressing the matter that said “the UFC may grant an exemption” to the rule that compels athletes to remain active in the testing pool for six months before competing.
USADA further provided a somewhat vague statement addressing the matter that said “the UFC may grant an exemption” to the rule that compels athletes to remain active in the testing pool for six months before competing.
Ariel Helwani slams Conor McGregor
During the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani was asked to comment on the matter by one of the fans who sent in their questions for the ‘On the Nose’ segment. Helwani shared that in his observation, the anti-doping agency mostly acted in a grey area, giving enough elbow room to superstars such as Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones:
“Definitely seems dicey… I would love to get an explanation as to why this is… Not a great look. But I have felt from the beginning that USADA was mired in all kinds of holes, if you will, and it felt like the goalposts were always being moved – whether it was for Brock [Lesnar], whether it was for Jon Jones.”
Helwani also pointed out that far fewer fights are canceled nowadays owing to USADA violations compared to the early days when the agency took over:
“When’s the last event that was affected by USADA suspension? We saw a bunch of them at the beginning. When’s the last time that happened? Isn’t that a little weird? Who’s the last big name that we saw got popped? Is everyone just clean all of a sudden? Have a hard time believing that.”
