Conor McGregor, the mixed martial arts star, has been suspended for 18 months by the UFC’s anti-doping program, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD). The sanction, with retroactive effect, began on September 20, 2024, and will end on March 20, 2026. This suspension could affect McGregor’s participation in the UFC card at the White House, announced by former President Donald Trump for his birthday, June 14. McGregor had expressed his interest in being part of this event, which would mark his return to the octagon after almost five years. The suspension is due to three “whereabouts failures” in which McGregor did not show up for doping tests on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024, in addition to not providing accurate information about his location.
On June 13, the date of one of the failed tests, UFC CEO Dana White announced the cancellation of the McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight at UFC 303. CSAD noted that McGregor was recovering from an injury and was not preparing for a fight at the time of the failed tests. The agency also highlighted that McGregor fully cooperated with the investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided detailed information which, according to CSAD, contributed to the failures in the tests. Due to McGregor’s cooperation and the circumstances, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures in six months. McGregor’s current 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 UFC champion is in the organization’s anti-doping testing pool, and has submitted four samples in 2025.“McGregor failed to appear for three attempts to collect biological samples within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Program,” according to a CSAD press release on the UFC website.
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