McGregor's recovery under scrutiny again over allegations about banned substances
Conor McGregor is once again at the center of an anti-doping debate after The New York Times published a report on June 11, 2026, according to which the former two-division UFC champion allegedly used powerful banned substances during his recovery from a severe broken leg sustained in the fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in Las Vegas. It was the injury that, in July 2021, stopped their third fight at the end of the first round and kept McGregor out of the octagon for almost five years. According to the New York newspaper's report, the allegations are based on people who had direct insight into the case, while details about the specific substances and the scope of the therapy have not been officially released. McGregor's team did not confirm the claims about the use of banned substances, but emphasized that the recovery was focused on treating an extremely serious injury that could have jeopardized the continuation of his career. According to the same report, the UFC said that McGregor remained in compliance with the rules of the program in place at the time throughout the process.
A serious injury that changed the course of his career
McGregor broke his leg in July 2021, in the final seconds of the first round of the fight with Poirier. According to reports from combat-sports media and earlier UFC announcements, the injury involved fractures of the tibia and fibula, after which surgery followed. Doctor Neal ElAttrache, a well-known orthopedic surgeon connected with top-level American sport, operated on McGregor after the fight. The New York Times report states that ElAttrache did not prescribe hormone or steroid therapy to McGregor, but confirmed that he supported a request for a therapeutic use exemption that would have allowed the use of otherwise banned substances as part of treatment. That request, according to available information, was not approved by the UFC's anti-doping partner at the time, the American agency USADA.
McGregor's manager Audie Attar, according to claims reported by MMA Fighting citing The New York Times, refused to comment on the specific recovery regimen, but stressed that the injury was extremely serious. Attar stated that even after surgery there was a real risk of permanent consequences, including mobility problems and doubt about the possibility of returning to professional fighting. Such wording is important because it shows that McGregor's side frames the case primarily as a medical issue, and not as an attempt to gain a sporting advantage. At the same time, anti-doping systems treat banned substances through strict rules precisely because drugs that may have a therapeutic purpose can, in a sporting context, also be associated with enhanced performance. For that reason, in such cases the key question becomes whether a therapeutic use exemption was approved and under what conditions.
What a therapeutic use exemption means
A therapeutic use exemption, known as a TUE, is a mechanism that allows athletes to use a banned substance or method if there is a justified medical need and if the prescribed conditions are met. According to the explanations of the World Anti-Doping Agency, an athlete may request an exemption when, for treatment, he or she needs a substance that is on the list of banned substances, but such approval must not provide the athlete with an additional sporting advantage beyond a return to a normal state of health. USADA also states in its rules that the request must be supported by medical documentation, medical history and a doctor's explanation of why permitted alternatives are not appropriate. In McGregor's case, the key point is that such an exemption, according to the report, was not approved. For that reason, the question of the alleged use of substances during recovery is connected with the fact that the fighter was outside the active UFC testing system during that period.
The New York Times, according to MMA Fighting's summary, states that ElAttrache supported the request after consultations with experts who believed that it could optimize the chance of complete fracture healing. According to the same report, the doctor defended the idea that banned substances should not automatically be equated with illegal drugs because certain medications can have legitimate medical use. Such an argument is not unusual in sport, but it clashes with the principle that use must be approved through a formal procedure. Former World Anti-Doping Agency board member David Gerrard, according to The New York Times report carried by MMA Fighting, said that he did not recall a case in which a substance for improving bone healing had been approved in a way that would correspond to McGregor's example. For that reason, the case again opens a broader debate about the boundary between medical rehabilitation and the anti-doping protection of competition.
Leaving USADA's system and returning in October 2023
After the injury, McGregor withdrew from the active UFC testing program that was then administered by USADA. Under the rules at the time, a fighter returning to the registered testing pool had to undergo a period of testing and provide negative results before competing. On October 11, 2023, USADA announced that McGregor had returned to the testing pool on October 8, 2023, and at that time emphasized that there should be no exception to the condition requiring at least six months of testing and two negative tests before a return to competition. The same USADA announcement was also important because it confirmed that the cooperation between that agency and the UFC would not continue after December 31, 2023. The agency then publicly stated that its relationship with the UFC had become untenable, among other things because of disputes over McGregor's return and the interpretation of the rules.
After parting ways with USADA, the UFC established a new anti-doping system that has applied from the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. According to the official UFC Anti-Doping portal, Combat Sports Anti-Doping became the independent administrator of the program, while sample collection was entrusted to Drug Free Sport International. According to the same source, samples are sent to the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Salt Lake City, a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The UFC states that its employees do not make final decisions on testing and sanctions and that those powers have been entrusted to an independent administrator. Critics of such a model nevertheless point out that the change followed a period of public tensions with USADA, which gave the McGregor case additional political and institutional weight within combat sports.
The later suspension was not related to a positive finding
An important part of the context is the fact that McGregor's later suspension under the UFC's new anti-doping rules was not the result of a positive finding for a banned substance. According to the announcement by CSAD and the UFC Anti-Doping portal of October 7, 2025, McGregor accepted an 18-month period of ineligibility because of three missed attempts to collect biological samples in 2024. Those missed tests were recorded on June 13, September 19 and September 20, 2024, and were classified as violations of availability rules, or “whereabouts failures”. According to the official explanation, athletes in the UFC program must provide accurate information about their location so that they can be tested without prior notice. The standard sanction for three such violations was reduced from 24 to 18 months because CSAD, according to reports, took into account McGregor's cooperation, acceptance of responsibility and circumstances related to the injury.
The suspension was retroactive and was calculated from September 20, 2024, so it ended on March 20, 2026. McGregor thereby formally regained the right to compete before the announced return in July 2026. According to available information, that procedure does not confirm the claims from The New York Times report about the use of banned substances during the earlier recovery, but it places them in the broader context of the relationship between the fighter, the UFC and anti-doping rules. It is especially important to distinguish between two levels of the case: the allegations about the medical regimen after the broken leg, which have not been officially confirmed through a publicly announced positive finding, and the later administrative violation due to unavailability for testing. That difference is precisely what matters for avoiding unfounded conclusions about guilt. As of June 11, 2026, no public decision had been published that would sanction McGregor because of a positive test connected with the allegations about the recovery from 2021 and 2022.
The UFC claims he was in compliance with the rules
According to the report cited by MMA Fighting, UFC chief financial officer Hunter Campbell told The New York Times that McGregor maintained appropriate communication with the organization and that he was in full compliance with the rules of their comprehensive program. Such a position by the UFC is important because it shows that the promotion does not present the case as a disciplinary offense from the recovery period. McGregor's side, through manager Attar, claims that withdrawal from the testing pool was necessary so that the fighter could focus on recovering from an injury that could have had lasting consequences. Attar also, according to the report, criticized the publication of alleged personal medical information, calling it a violation of health privacy. On the other hand, anti-doping experts and critics warn that absence from the testing program can create room for doubts, especially when it concerns the promotion's globally best-known fighter.
The case is additionally sensitive because it is taking place in a sport in which injuries are common, recoveries are long, and the boundaries between rehabilitation and competitive advantage are often a subject of debate. MMA fighters suffer fractures, ligament damage, concussions and other injuries during their careers that may require aggressive medical procedures. Anti-doping rules must therefore balance an athlete's right to treatment with the obligation to preserve equal conditions of competition. If a substance is on the banned list, a claim of medical need alone is not sufficient; a formal exemption procedure and expert assessment are required. In McGregor's case, according to available information, the public knows that such a request was supported by a doctor, but not approved by USADA.
Return against Max Holloway under additional pressure
McGregor, according to the UFC's official announcement, is scheduled to return on July 11, 2026, at UFC 329 in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he is expected to fight Max Holloway. The UFC announced that the event will be part of International Fight Week, and official ticket pages list the event “McGregor vs Holloway 2”. The two fighters first met in 2013, when McGregor won by unanimous decision. Holloway has meanwhile built a career as a former featherweight champion and one of the most active elite fighters of his generation, while McGregor has not competed since July 2021. Precisely because of that, the announced match was already extremely important from a sporting and commercial perspective, and the new report about the recovery will further increase interest and pressure ahead of the return.
The UFC's announcement of McGregor's return emphasizes that the former champion is returning for the first time after almost five years of absence. However, the sporting aspect is now intertwined with questions about how the recovery took place, under which rules the exit from and return to the testing program occurred, and how capable anti-doping systems are of monitoring athletes who have been outside competition for a long time. For the UFC, this is especially important because McGregor remains one of the biggest commercial stars in the organization's history. For opponents and part of the public, the case raises the question of consistency in applying rules to the most famous and financially most valuable athletes. For McGregor himself, the return against Holloway is now no longer only a sporting test after a serious injury, but also a public test of credibility after years of speculation about his recovery.
Broader significance for combat sports
Anti-doping debates in combat sports have special significance because the consequences of a possible prohibited advantage are measured not only by results and titles, but also by the physical safety of opponents. In the official description of its program, the UFC states that the goal of anti-doping policy is to protect athletes' health and their right to fair competition. WADA's 2026 list of prohibited substances came into effect on January 1, 2026, and includes, among other things, anabolic agents, peptides, growth hormones, hormonal and metabolic modulators and other substances and methods. Although the UFC has its own program, in its explanations it relies on anti-doping infrastructure, laboratories and experts operating within a broader international framework. For that reason, the McGregor case goes beyond an individual fighter and again raises the question of how professional leagues regulate rehabilitation, return after injury and transparency of testing.
As of June 11, 2026, the key facts remain the following: The New York Times reported that McGregor allegedly used banned substances during recovery after breaking his leg; the doctor who operated on him said that he did not prescribe him hormones or steroids, but supported a request for a therapeutic use exemption; USADA, according to the report, did not approve that request; after the injury, McGregor was outside the testing program at the time, and returned to it in October 2023; the UFC and McGregor's team claim that the conduct was related to recovery and that the fighter was in compliance with the rules. At the same time, his later 18-month suspension related to missed tests, not to a publicly announced positive finding. Because of the announced return against Holloway, these questions will continue to run through the sporting and regulatory debate all the way to UFC 329.
Sources:
- The New York Times – original report on McGregor's recovery, alleged use of banned substances and request for a therapeutic use exemption (link)
- MMA Fighting – summary and context of The New York Times report, statements by McGregor's team, the UFC and doctor Neal ElAttrache (link)
- USADA – official announcement on McGregor's return to the testing pool and the end of cooperation with the UFC (link)
- UFC Anti-Doping – official description of the UFC anti-doping program, documents and program structure (link)
- UFC Anti-Doping News / CSAD – announcement on McGregor's 18-month sanction for missed tests in 2024 (link)
- UFC – official announcement of McGregor's return against Max Holloway at UFC 329 (link)
- WADA – explanation of therapeutic use exemptions and the 2026 list of prohibited substances and methods (link)