Conor McGregor Suspended for 18 Months 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 suspension, which began on September 20, 2024, will end on March 20, 2026. This sanction comes after several absences in doping controls. McGregor did not provide precise information about his location on three occasions, which resulted in the suspension.The failed tests occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024. CSAD classified each of these as “Whereabouts Failures” according to UFC rules. It is important to note that on June 13, the day of the first failed test, the cancellation of McGregor’s scheduled fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 was also announced. Despite not being available for testing, CSAD indicated that McGregor was recovering from an injury and was not preparing for a fight at that time. McGregor fully cooperated with the CSAD investigation and accepted responsibility, providing detailed information which, according to CSAD, contributed to the failed tests. Due to cooperation and mitigating circumstances, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three failures to report whereabouts in six months. The suspension comes one 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, with four samples submitted in 2025.“McGregor missed three attempts to collect biological samples in a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC ADP,” according to a CSAD press release on the UFC website.
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