McGregor reveals drug fears ahead of world title shot

Conor McGregor’s single greatest fear – maybe his only one as he prepares to take on champion Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight belt in Las Vegas in July - is that his Brazilian opponent will fail a drug test that results in the fight being cancelled.

The use of illegal substances has been an ongoing issue for the UFC, which is due to introduce tougher and independent out-of-competition testing for its fighters on a year-round basis, and Aldo’s coach Andre Pederneiras believes the sport has reached a tipping point.

“If the UFC wants the best show and the guy is juiced, you will have the best show of your life,” Pederneiras told Portal do Vale Tudo recently, while claiming he was against the use of PEDs.

“If it is a sport and everyone is clean maybe everybody won’t be jumping out of their seats and cheering.”

McGregor took exception to that.

“It’s essential,” he said of the new rules. “I even read an interview recently of what his coach said and I was actually blown away by it. My stomach turned a little bit, to be honest.

“His coach was saying the UFC need to decide whether it’s spectacle or sport because if they do the enhanced testing the athletes won’t be as good, but if they let them be on performance enhancing drugs the spectacle will be the best spectacle they have ever seen.

“And I am reading this thinking ‘what the f*** is this?’ What is that? That is almost after confirming to me what I already ... suspect. So, he can say what he wants. I’m just happy that we will be tested out of competition. I just hope he is clean.”

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