Conor McGregor Suspended for 18 Months by the UFC Anti-Doping Program
The renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, Conor McGregor, has been suspended for 18 months by the UFC’s anti-doping program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD). The suspension came into effect on September 20, 2024, and will end on March 20, 2026. The sanction comes after McGregor accumulated three “whereabouts failures.” These failures refer to McGregor’s inability to submit to anti-doping tests on the indicated dates, due to inaccurate information about his location.According to a CSAD statement, the failures occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024. Each of these incidents was classified as a “whereabouts failure” according to UFC regulations. On June 13, the day of the first failure, also coincided with the announcement of the cancellation of McGregor’s scheduled fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. CSAD clarified that McGregor was recovering from an injury and was not in preparation 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 he provided, which contributed to the determination of the failures. Due to this cooperation and the circumstances, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures in six months. McGregor’s suspension comes a day after he announced on X that he would be taking an indefinite break from social media. Currently, the former two-division UFC champion is in the UFC’s drug testing pool, with four samples submitted in 2025.McGregor was not available for testing on the indicated dates, CSAD noted that he was recovering from an injury and was not preparing for a fight at the time of the three failed tests.
CSAD
