KUALA LUMPUR — Conor McGregor has accepted an 18-month suspension for violating the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) anti-doping policy after missing three drug tests in 2024, officials confirmed.
Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) said the Irish fighter failed to provide samples on three separate occasions within a 12-month period. His suspension began on September 20, 2024, and will run until March 20, 2026.
The body noted that McGregor was recovering from injury and not preparing for competition at the time of the missed tests.
Taking into account his cooperation and circumstances, CSAD reduced what would normally have been a 24-month sanction.
McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion (featherweight and lightweight), last fought in July 2021 when he broke his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier.
The 37-year-old recently claimed he had agreed to fight at a special UFC event at the White House on June 14 next year— coinciding with the 80th birthday of US President Donald Trump. But UFC president Dana White denied those claims on Saturday. — October 8, 2025