UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been issued an 18-month suspension for breaching the UFC’s anti-doping regulations after missing three scheduled drug tests in 2024, according to a statement released by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) on Tuesday.
According to CSAD, McGregor failed to appear for three scheduled biological sample collections within a 12-month period — on 13 June, 19 September, and 20 September 2024. Under UFC regulations, athletes are required to maintain accurate whereabouts information at all times to allow for unannounced testing.
The suspension has been made retroactive to 20 September 2024, the date of his final missed test, and will remain in effect until 20 March 2026. The agency noted that McGregor was recovering from injury and not preparing for competition during the missed tests, and that he cooperated fully with the investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided documentation clarifying the circumstances.
Taking these mitigating factors into account, CSAD reduced the usual 24-month penalty for three whereabouts failures by six months. However, the body emphasised that the integrity of the anti-doping system relies on accurate filings and the ability to conduct unannounced testing.
CSAD oversees the UFC’s year-round testing programme independently, with sample collections carried out by Drug Free Sport International and analysed at the WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Salt Lake City.
McGregor, 37, rejoined the UFC testing pool in 2025 and has since submitted four samples. The former two-division champion has not competed since July 2021, after a leg injury cut short his bout. His scheduled UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler in 2024 was cancelled due to that injury.
With his suspension ending in March 2026, McGregor could return to the octagon later that year, pending medical clearance and an approved bout. His comeback could coincide with the UFC card at the White House, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump for 14 June 2026.
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Paris prosecutors have summoned X chairman Elon Musk and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino for questioning in April as part of their probe into the X social media network, they said on Tuesday.
Ukraine has agreed with Western partners on a plan under which repeated Russian violations of any future ceasefire would trigger swift, co-ordinated military responses by Europe and the United States, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Air China has announced that it will operate around 70,000 flights during the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, as China prepares for another surge of holiday travel during its most important annual celebration.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement is already taking shape.
Dmitry Medvedev, said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
The United States accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its top diplomat in Havana on Sunday (1 February) after small groups of Cubans jeered at him during meetings with residents and church representatives.
Heavy snow continued to batter northern and western Japan on Saturday (31 January) leaving cities buried under record levels of snowfall and prompting warnings from authorities. Aomori city in northern Japan recorded 167 centimetres of snow by Friday - the highest January total since 1945.
A daylight robbery at a jewellery shop in Richmond, one of London’s most affluent and traditionally quiet districts, has heightened security concerns among residents and local businesses.
Paris prosecutors have summoned X chairman Elon Musk and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino for questioning in April as part of their probe into the X social media network, they said on Tuesday.
Ukraine has agreed with Western partners on a plan under which repeated Russian violations of any future ceasefire would trigger swift, co-ordinated military responses by Europe and the United States, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Emergency teams in eastern China are racing to locate survivors after a bridge under construction collapsed in Jiangsu province, leaving two people dead and three missing.
Mexico said it will stop sending oil to Cuba as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the Caribbean nation.
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