Conor McGregor‘s disastrous UFC 329 homecoming has sparked new controversy even from the sidelines. As the former two-division champion awaits surgery for the knee injury that ended his fight with Max Holloway after only 69 seconds, fans have turned their attention away from the injury and toward the Irishman’s recent social media rant, with some accusing him of being under the influence of drugs. ‘The Notorious,’ however, wasn’t willing to let the accusations slide.

The Irishman recently responded to multiple fans on X, categorically denying that he had used any mind-altering medications while recovering. And not just that. In the process, he made a blunt admission, stating that if the fight had gone differently, he might have “cracked the seal” and reverted to his old habits.

“I felt fully calm and relaxed,” Conor McGregor wrote on X as he reflected on his mindset before stepping into the Octagon. “It was going to the shop for my lunch. Lunch being the opponent.”

However, when a fan accused him of being on drugs again, ‘The Notorious’ immediately pushed back.

“I have not and will not take any mind-altering substances,” he responded. “I feel if the fight had of went any different, favorably or otherwise, even if the fight got to take place atleast, I may have cracked the seal on this and ended back in the cycle.”

But as we all know, that did not end up happening. Despite this, Conor McGregor claimed that his full focus now remains on surgery and rehabilitation.

“However it went the way it went, and I am awaiting my surgery and planning my recovery so zero mind altering substances have entered my body whatsoever,” he stated. “More time under extreme discipline is required, and that is it. I find extreme discipline most enjoyable anyway, so happy days.”

The Irishman’s response comes on the heels of a controversial history with anti-doping. The UFC and Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) suspended the Irishman for 18 months in 2025 after he missed three “whereabouts failures” within a 12-month period in 2024.

The scrutiny only grew after a recent New York Times report claimed that Conor McGregor took “powerful, banned drugs” while recovering from a broken leg he suffered against Dustin Poirier in 2021.

According to the report, renowned sports physician Neal ElAttrache performed the former UFC double champion’s surgery before referring him to a bone-healing expert, where he allegedly received substances prohibited by anti-doping regulations to speed up bone and muscle repair.

The report also alleged that Conor McGregor evaded UFC drug testing, which was administered at the time by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

While the charges were about performance-enhancing drugs rather than recreational substances, they continue to fuel speculation anytime Conor McGregor posts on social media.

In fact, that speculation resurfaced as MMA journalist Adam Martin shared screengrabs of another fan interaction with the former champion, as Martin tweeted that he was posting them before ‘The Notorious’ could delete them himself.

It all began with a usual Conor McGregor tweet as he talked about how he felt going into the fight. So while pushing back on the injury narrative, when a fan brought up accusations of him being on drugs again, the Irishman firmly dismissed the assertion.

“More nonsense,” McGregor replied on X. “My hematocrit was 48%; my engine was primed and ready for the full duration without effort.”

The former two-division champion insisted that he was at his 100%, and his conditioning had never been better heading into UFC 329.

“I will delete these, as I am not getting into the back and forth and further annoying myself,” he continued. “I was primed. Fit. Healthy. My engine, my oxygen, my blood, my hr, was never in better condition.

“Next time I’ll give a little scream at the camera so the illusion of something else is there.”

It is worth noting that even Dana White has backed McGregor’s claim that he was at his 100% heading into the Max Holloway bout last Saturday, as the UFC CEO outright denied that the Irishman went into the fight compromised during the post-event presser.

Dana White returned to the UFC 329 press conference to defend Conor McGregor

The drug allegations aren’t the only ones Conor McGregor has had to face since UFC 329. Since the former two-division champion was ruled out of his comeback fight in just 69 seconds, fans have argued that he walked into the fight already compromised.

Some pointed to moments during fight week, such as McGregor appearing to struggle to remove his shoes at the ceremonial weigh-ins, as proof that something wasn’t quite right before the bout.

However, Conor McGregor has repeatedly rejected those theories, claiming that he was completely fit before the bout. And the UFC CEO has backed him up.

After finishing the UFC 329 post-fight press conference and preparing to leave, White unexpectedly returned to the podium moments later to answer another question on whether Conor McGregor had a pre-existing injury entering the fight. According to the head honcho, the theory just didn’t make sense.

“So, we were talking about the guy over here asking about there being a pre-injury; just on my account, the face-off (at the ceremonial weigh-ins) is at 80 million views, right?” White said. “So if there was a pre-existing injury, someone would’ve noticed it.

“(Fans would’ve noticed if) he was limping; he put his shoes on, he ran right at him. I don’t think there was, but anything is possible, but he sure didn’t look like it. 80 million just on my accounts; that number has got to be massive, and no one noticed anything.”

The UFC CEO also stated that the promotion had released backstage warm-up footage of Conor McGregor throwing the exact same kick that resulted in the injury against Max Holloway.

Although Dana White’s early assumption is that ‘The Notorious’ suffered a torn ACL, the exact extent of the damage will not be known until further medical examination. The Irishman already stated that surgery is next, and he is determined to return, with ‘Blessed’ willing to wait for a trilogy bout once his longtime rival is healthy again.