Dustin Poirier wants to see an even playing field in the UFC when it comes to drug testing.

The lightweight division is consistently full of drama, great matchups, and high stakes, which often proves why it's one of the best divisions in all of MMA, if not the best. Storylines and talent are never sparse and there is always something interesting happening, especially at the top of the heap. Even in combinations where title implications are seemingly nowhere nearby, there’s intrigue. That’s where Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler come in as season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter concluded this past Tuesday.

The coaching tandem of McGregor and Chandler are expected to collide at welterweight despite traditionally fighting at 155 pounds. However, their pairing still isn’t yet official as McGregor needs to re-enter the USADA testing pool and undergo six months of testing before stepping back into the octagon. “The Notorious” would need to be granted some type of exemption, allowing him to fight sooner. In such a case, his most recent rival, Poirier, thinks it would give the whole system a bad look.

“I like USADA, and I do think they’re doing a good job of cleaning up our sport,” Poirier told MMA News (h/t MMA Mania). “But, for me, if they waive [the six-month window] and allow him to compete with no drug testing, it kind of just makes a joke of the whole thing. Just remove it completely, you know?

“There shouldn’t be gray areas. It’s white and black with USADA. You take tests and pass them, you’re able to compete. You don’t take tests, you won’t be able to compete. There was never a gray area before.”

McGregor’s last two fights came against “The Diamond” and saw him suffer TKO defeats. The January 2021 rematch resulted in Poirier wearing down his Irish counterpart with an early leg kick onslaught before the finishing punches upstairs arrived in round two. In the trilogy, Poirier mixed up his arsenal with some grappling while still landing blows to McGregor on the feet. Unfortunately, a nasty leg break spelled the end for McGregor in the final seconds of round one, sidelining him ever since that night in July of that year.

While on the mend, McGregor exited the USADA testing pool before 2022 rolled around.

“We’ll see what happens,” Poirier said. “I’m not s****** on the UFC, and I’m not s****** on USADA. I don’t want to accuse or say things about either company without them making an official decision yet. I don’t know what they’re going to do with Conor and the drug testing thing. But if they do allow him to compete without drug testing they’re making a whole joke of USADA.”

Like McGregor will once he does eventually come back, Poirier too is on the rebound track after a tough second-round head kick knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 this past month. The BMF stumble has Poirier hoping for a trilogy someday now that he and “The Highlight” are 1-1, but first, he just wants to get one more fight under his belt in 2023 and wants it to be one that “excites” him.

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VIDEO STEW

The MMA Hour.

UFC 292 Media Day.

Canelo vs. Charlo Pre-Fight Presser Staredowns.

Full Presser.

Embedded 3.

Sterling vs. O’Malley hype.

Full fight.

PFL Road to Championship.

Deep Jewels 42 trailer.

Si Woo Park vs. Hime hype.

The Suga Era.

Sterling and Weidman BTS.

Chito fight week.

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LISTEN UP

No Bets Barred. MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew, Connor Burks, and Mike Heck discuss if Sean O’Malley can pull off the upset over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

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MORNING MUSIC

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Learning and returning.

Legendary.

And new!

Can’t even win against non-fighters.

Sticking to it?

Bantamweights.

Funk Harbor.

Trilogy?

Working.

Summertime.

Look out for IT.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Iasmin Lucindo (15-5) vs. Elise Reed (7-3); Noche UFC, Sept. 16

Raul Rosas Jr. (7-1) vs. Terrence Mitchell (14-3); Noche UFC, Sept. 16

John Lineker (36-10) vs. Stephen Loman (17-2); ONE Fight Night 14, Sept. 29

Daniel Pineda (28-5, 3 NC) vs. Khusein Askhabov (23-1); UFC Vegas 80, Oct. 7

Jordan Leavitt (11-2) vs. Chase Hooper (12-3-1); UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18

Kyung Ho Kang (19-9, 1 NC) vs. John Castañeda (20-6); UFC Vegas 82, Nov. 18

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I’d expect a decent amount of backlash and disagreement from most in MMA if McGregor doesn’t have to do the full six months. At the same time, I doubt it would change anything because that’s just how things typically go in this sport. See judging as a prime example...

Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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