McGregor was hit with the sanction after what CSAD described as three “whereabout failures” that led to him missing anti-doping tests in 2024 – on June 13, September 19, and September 20.
A statement from CSAD, posted on the UFC website, read:
Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced today that Conor McGregor, of Dublin, Ireland, has accepted an 18-month period of ineligibility for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).
McGregor missed three attempted biological sample collections within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC ADP. UFC athletes are required to provide accurate whereabouts information at all times, so they can be contacted and submit to biological sample collections without prior warning. McGregor’s missed tests occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024, and were each classified as Whereabouts Failures by CSAD under the UFC ADP.
Although McGregor failed to make himself available for testing on those dates, CSAD noted that he was recovering from an injury and was not preparing for an upcoming fight at the time of the three missed tests. McGregor fully cooperated with CSAD’s investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided detailed information that CSAD determined contributed to the missed tests.
Despite these mitigating factors, CSAD emphasizes that accurate whereabouts filings and the ability to conduct unannounced testing are essential to the success of the UFC ADP. Taking McGregor’s cooperation and circumstances into account, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures by six months. His period of ineligibility began on September 20, 2024 (the date of his third whereabouts failure) and will conclude on March 20, 2026.
CSAD independently administers the UFC’s year-round anti-doping program. Biological sample collections under the UFC ADP are conducted by Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), a global leader in the anti-doping industry with more than 5,000 trained collection personnel. All samples are analyzed at the WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
For more information on the UFC Anti-Doping Program, including written policies and athlete testing statistics, visit ufcantidoping.com. Resources are available in multiple languages, including Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.
CSAD also provides a reporting mechanism for known or suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs in UFC at tipline@csad.org.
