McGregor Suspended 18 Months for Failed UFC Drug Tests

Conor McGregor Receives 18-Month Suspension for Non-Compliance with Anti-Doping Tests

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 this Tuesday, is retroactive to September 20, 2024, and will end on March 20, 2026. This suspension comes at a crucial moment for McGregor, who had expressed his interest in participating in a UFC event scheduled for June 14, coinciding with the birthday of former President Donald Trump. The suspension is due to three “whereabouts failures” by McGregor, who did not show up for the tests on the indicated dates nor did he provide precise information about his location.

“McGregor did not present himself for three attempts at collecting biological samples within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC ADP,” indicates a CSAD statement.

CSAD

The failures occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024. CSAD classified each of these incidents as “whereabouts failures” under the UFC’s anti-doping program. On June 13, the day one of the failures occurred, UFC CEO Dana White announced the cancellation of the scheduled fight between McGregor and Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Despite not being available for testing on those dates, CSAD noted that McGregor was recovering from an injury and was not in preparation for a fight at that time. CSAD highlighted that McGregor fully cooperated with the investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided detailed information that contributed to the failures in the tests. Considering McGregor’s cooperation and circumstances, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures in six months. The suspension began on September 20, 2024 and will conclude on March 20, 2026. The suspension comes one day after McGregor announced on X that he would be taking an indefinite break from social media. The former two-division champion is currently in the UFC’s drug testing pool, with four samples submitted in 2025.