The UFC announced that Conor McGregor has accepted a lengthy period of ineligibility for violating the company's anti-doping policy.
McGregor accepted a suspension of 18 months after missing three attempted "biological sample collections within a 12-month period in 2024," which is a violation of the anti-doping policy.
"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," the UFC said. "McGregor's missed tests occurred on June 13, Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, 2024, and were each classified as 'Whereabouts Failures' by the CSAD (Combat Sports Anti-Doping) under the UFC ADP."
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McGregor was initially set to be suspended for 24 months, though cooperation with the company led to a reduced suspension, according to the press release.
"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.
DANA WHITE PROMISES 'GREATEST FIGHT CARD EVER ASSEMBLED' FOR POTENTIAL WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT IN 2026
"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."
McGregor's suspension is retroactive to the date of his final missed test, which means he is eligible to return to competition in March 2026 - three months before the potential White House fight card that he has publicly said he wishes to fight in.
President Donald Trump announced that the White House card will take place in June 2026 to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States on the storied landmark's famous lawn.
While McGregor said it was a "done deal" that he would be returning to the octagon for that highly anticipated event, UFC CEO Dana White shot it down after UFC 320 this past Saturday.
"I made it clear Conor wants to fight on that card, and you can clearly see Conor is very fired up to fight on that card," White said, per Yahoo Sports. "But nothing is done yet, and no fights are being negotiated with the White House."
White promised that the White House event would feature "the greatest fight card ever assembled."
McGregor has not fought since July 2021, when he lost to Dustin Poirier in the third chapter of their rivalry. He was previously scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024, but he broke his pinky toe on June 13 of that year, which is the first failed test date in the UFC release.
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