Former dual-weight champion Henry Cejudo believes Conor McGregor is on steroids ahead of his return.
‘The Notorious’ has been out of action since his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. In that outing, McGregor lost by first-round TKO after breaking his leg.
Due to his injury against ‘The Diamond’, the former champion has been on the sidelines for over a year.
After cross-referencing the entire active UFC roster with USADA's athlete test history database, I found that Conor McGregor was the lone active fighter, (aside from some athletes who signed after Aug. 1) to not be tested by USADA.https://t.co/vn3W3z5CjQ
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) September 23, 2022
However, the former dual-weight champion is currently on the comeback trail. While no comeback fight is set, he’s been called out by everyone from Jake Paul to Michael Chandler.
Meanwhile, his coach John Kavanagh has stated that he hasn’t skipped a beat in training.
It seems that Henry Cejudo believes Conor McGregor’s improvements in training are likely owed to steroids. ‘Triple C’ discussed the Irishman’s return on his YouTube channel.
McGregor's team and the UFC declined comment.
USADA provided TSN with the following statement: pic.twitter.com/7iNSS6BwXU
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) September 23, 2022
There, Cejudo speculated that McGregor is using steroids during his time away from the cage.
The opinion is far from new, especially given that the Dublin native has cultivated a lot of mass in his time away. To go along with that, McGregor hasn’t been tested in 2022 by USADA. He is the only member of the roster to not be tested to this point.
In addition to speculating that Conor McGregor is on banned substances, Henry Cejudo poked fun at the Irishman and told him to stop doing cocaine.
With the latest update from USADA, it can now be confirmed that Conor McGregor has not had to provide a test in the previous 12 months.
I cannot understand why this story is not being covered or answered.
— Andy Hickey MMA🇮🇪 (@AndyHickeyMMA) September 3, 2022
The jab is far from the first thrown by either man. McGregor and Cejudo have been going back and forth online for months.
“He’s on that privileged list,” Cejudo said. “That’s crazy. Those are things to bring up. That’s crazy.” (h/t MMAJunkie)
“But ‘roids are not going to help, Conor. Of course he’s on that sh*t knowing that [he hasn’t been tested this year]. But it ain’t going to help him. The dude needs to stay away from coke. That’s what he needs to do.”
“He’s on that privileged list,” Cejudo said. “That’s crazy. Those are things to bring up. That’s crazy.” (h/t MMAJunkie)
“But ‘roids are not going to help, Conor. Of course he’s on that sh*t knowing that [he hasn’t been tested this year].
But it ain’t going to help him. The dude needs to stay away from coke. That’s what he needs to do.”
As McGregor prepares for his UFC return, he will need to re-enter the USADA testing pool and pass two tests before he is able to compete. The No.11 lightweight has added considerable size since his last appearance at UFC 264, where he broke his leg, although that is not evidence of steroid usage.