Conor McGregor has accepted an 18-month suspension for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy, the organisation has confirmed.
According to the Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) agency, the 37-year-old Irish fighter failed to appear for three scheduled biological sample collections within a 12-month period in 2024.
Under UFC rules, athletes must provide accurate whereabouts information at all times to allow for unannounced testing.
McGregor, who has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, missed tests on 13 June, 19 September, and 20 September last year.
CSAD said the suspension was reduced from the standard 24 months to 18 months in recognition of McGregor’s cooperation and the mitigating circumstances surrounding his injury.
A UFC statement said McGregor “accepted responsibility and provided detailed information that CSAD determined contributed to the missed tests.”
His ban officially began on 20 September 2024—the date of his third whereabouts failure—and will end on 20 March 2026, just months before his 39th birthday.
McGregor recently claimed he had signed to fight on the “UFC White House card” scheduled for 14 June 2026, coinciding with former US president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
However, UFC president Dana White denied that any agreement had been reached, saying, “Conor wants to fight on that card and is very fired up, but nothing is done yet.”
On Monday, McGregor announced he was taking a break from social media.
In November 2024, he was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages and costs to Nikita Hand, who accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
Ms Hand also filed a lawsuit in August against McGregor and two others, alleging malicious abuse of court processes.
Last month, McGregor confirmed he was no longer pursuing his bid to run in the upcoming Irish presidential election.
