Conor McGregor Faces 18-Month Sanction Over Doping Policy Violations

Conor McGregor, a former champion in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions, has accepted an 18-month sanction related to anti-doping policy violations, the UFC confirmed on Tuesday.

The UFC stated on its website that McGregor missed three scheduled attempts for biological sample collection by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024. These omissions resulted in 'whereabouts failures,' according to the organization. In their statement, the UFC noted, 'McGregor fully cooperated with CSAD's investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided detailed information that CSAD determined contributed to the missed tests.'

Because of McGregor's cooperation and the specific circumstances, CSAD agreed to reduce the typical 24-month sanction for such failures by six months. McGregor's period of ineligibility started on September 20, 2024, marking his third whereabouts failure, and it will end on March 20, 2026. Despite his last UFC match ending with a leg injury against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, McGregor expressed eagerness to return to the octagon, potentially fighting at the White House in June of next year.

(With inputs from agencies.)