McGregor Suspended 18 Months for Whereabouts Failures

Conor McGregor has accepted an 18-month suspension from Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) for three whereabouts failures — missed sample collections on June 13, Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, 2024 — with the ban backdated to Sept. 20, 2024 and ending March 20, 2026. CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction by six months after noting McGregor cooperated, accepted responsibility, provided mitigating information and was recovering from injury at the times of the missed tests. The ruling delays McGregor’s long-awaited return — he has not fought since suffering a broken leg in July 2021 — but because the suspension is retroactive he would technically be eligible several months before the UFC’s planned White House card on June 14, 2026, an event he has publicly sought to join. UFC president Dana White said no fights for the White House card have been finalized and denied that McGregor is already booked for the event. The suspension and announcement prompted reactions across the MMA world, including a repost from former rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.