Derek from More Plates More Dates believes there’s only two explanations for McGregor’s Instagram: performance enhancing drugs or photoshop.
Conor McGregor made some waves this week when he announced his intention to return to the USADA drug testing pool in February so he could book a fight soon after. According to Mac, he wouldn’t even have to go through a standard six month testing period to resume his career. Just two tests and he’ll be ready to go.
“The Notorious” may be correct in this. According to USADA’s own edicts, the UFC can grant a fighter an ‘exceptional circumstances’ exemption to the six month test period. Since McGregor was removed from the pool so doctors could treat his badly broken leg with all manner of treatments, it would make sense that he falls under those exceptional circumstances. But we assume USADA didn’t expect McGregor to return from his injury exceptionally yoked as well.
McGregor’s physical transformation is such that noted internet performance enhancing drugs expert Derek from More Plates, More Dates thinks there may be some photoshop tomfoolery going on.
“This is his sauciest I’ve ever seen him look in my life, personally,” he said. “Like these quads, especially, to me … like again, this photo is almost suspiciously photoshopped, seemingly. That’s how cranked this guy looks right now relative to what I believe he’s naturally capable of.”
“So either he’s almost certainly taking something right now while not being tested by USADA so there’s absolutely the most incentive ever for him, when he’s creeping into his mid-30s, has to make a dramatic comeback. This is his last shot to do it coming off a brutal injury where you would probably be taking certain things in order to expedite recovery and make sure you come back with enhanced infrastructure to avoid further injury in the future.”
“He can just show up sauced to the gills, like what is going on with this guy?” Derek continued. “Because everyone is wondering why this guy hasn’t been drug tested and people talk about his injury, getting out of the pool. But he has impending plans to come back to the UFC and make a statement. And this does not look representative of ‘I just took time off and I’m focusing on building my physique back to be fight ready.’ He has never looked like this in this dramatic of a fashion. This is almost to the point where I would think the picture is fake, like that’s how juicy this guy looks.”
“Even in the past, though, it’s not like there’s certainty around if he’s used hormones or anything. But when you’re not even passing the eye test, the smell test, where you just look at a guy and it’s like damn, dramatic before and after difference where you’re a well trained individual who’s been in the gym for years, maybe not trying to gain weight, but the lean mass this guy has packed on in this picture!”
“Look at the quad sweep, like this guy might as well become a [bodybuilder], not really but I mean this is impressive, especially with his f—ed up leg. To look like this, these are impressive quads to the point where they’re suspect as hell and potentially even photoshopped. I don’t know for sure. But it’s either one of two things: either sauce or photoshop.”
“That’s like 20 to 30 pounds of muscle accrued, which is just not going to happen naturally, in my opinion.”
We hate to make assumptions about whether a fighter is using PEDs without concrete evidence. But Derek is right: it is hard to ignore the eye test. Especially after the fighter in question has literally removed themselves from the USADA drug testing program.
What do you think, Maniacs? Has McGregor taken unfair advantage of his time outside of the USADA testing pool? Or is “The Notorious” a genius for exploiting these loopholes in the rules? Let us know in the comments.