Conor McGregor Receives 18-Month Suspension for Anti-Doping Violations
The renowned mixed martial arts fighter, Conor McGregor, has been suspended for 18 months by the UFC’s anti-doping program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD). The sanction, announced on Tuesday, dates back to September 20, 2024, and will end on March 20, 2026. This suspension comes at a crucial moment for McGregor, who had expressed his desire to participate in a UFC event that is speculated to take place on June 14, coinciding with the birthday of former President Donald Trump. The suspension is due to three “whereabouts failures” in which McGregor did not show up for doping tests. These failures occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024. According to CSAD, the athlete did not provide accurate information about his location, violating the rules that require availability for unannounced tests.On June 13, the day McGregor failed to appear for a test, the cancellation of his scheduled fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 was also announced. CSAD noted that McGregor was recovering from an injury and was not preparing for a fight at that time. Despite the failures, CSAD highlighted McGregor’s cooperation with the investigation, his acceptance of responsibility, and the detailed information provided. This led to a six-month reduction in the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures. The suspension began on September 20, 2024 and will end on March 20, 2026. The news of the suspension comes a day after McGregor announced on X that he would be taking an indefinite break from social media. Currently, the former two-division champion is in the UFC’s drug testing pool and has submitted four samples in 2025.“McGregor failed to present himself for three attempts to collect biological samples within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC anti-doping program,” reads a statement from CSAD.
CSAD
