Recently, Conor McGregor’s hype for his highly anticipated comeback at UFC 329 on July 11 was overshadowed by a New York Times report that alleged he used “powerful, banned drugs” to recover from the broken leg suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. The report, authored by journalist Michael S. Schmidt, claimed McGregor avoided USADA testing during his recovery and also sought a “special exemption” to continue using the drugs under the guidance of renowned physician Neal ElAttrache. In their investigative report, the Times further alleged that USADA’s denial of this exemption request directly contributed to the UFC’s decision to end its partnership with the agency at the end of 2023.

Following the controversy caused by the claims outlined in the report, many waited for the promotion’s response, and the UFC has finally broken its silence on the issue, clarifying what actually caused the split. 

“In 2021, Conor McGregor sustained a potentially career-ending injury and sought medical guidance from leading orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who advised the appropriate recovery and rehabilitation protocol,” UFC’s official statement read. “As a result, McGregor did not compete for five years and maintained proper communication with our team throughout, remaining in full compliance with the rules of our comprehensive drug program. McGregor has been tested 19 times over the past two years, including 12 times in 2026, making him the most tested athlete during this time. Any suggestion that UFC’s decision to end its partnership with USADA was related to Conor McGregor is categorically false.

“Internal communications and documentation clearly show that discussions regarding a transition away from USADA began months before any conversations involving McGregor. This narrative is a continued attempt by USADA leadership to misrepresent the facts surrounding UFC’s unilateral decision to terminate our agreement with them and instead choose to partner with a far more competent, organized, and sophisticated testing group comprised of Drug Free Sport, Combat Sports Anti-Doping, and SMRTL laboratories. The health and safety of our athletes remain our highest priority. We fully support Conor McGregor and look forward to his return to the Octagon this summer.”

The UFC did not provide any specifics on the internal documentation it referenced in its statement. But the broader suggestion is that their friction with USADA, which predated the McGregor case by months, prompted them to cut ties with the non-profit anti-doping agency.

Though what is true is that three years after the UFC commenced its partnership with USADA in 2015, the promotion decided to push for some significant changes to their policy. USADA publicly announces any violation by an athlete before a proper investigation can determine whether the violation was intentional or not. As a result, many fighters have faced “cheater” allegations following the agency’s revelations.

For that reason, according to an ESPN report at the time, the UFC held extensive talks with USADA, and the two sides eventually introduced changes to the policy in 2018. The revision helped former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos clear his name in a tainted supplement case.

Later, UFC vice president of health and performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN that 34 percent of adjudicated USADA cases determined that fighters had not intentionally ingested any banned substance. Instead, many violations stemmed from contaminated supplements, as was the case with Cris Cyborg, who was later granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) months after the agency announced she had failed an out-of-competition test.

Addressing the issue, UFC CBO Hunter Campbell also criticized USADA’s violation policy, stating that the “punishment” often didn’t “match the crime,” particularly in cases where unintentional violations resulted in four-year suspensions. Beyond that, USADA’s whereabouts tracking system also appeared to be a point of contention for the promotion. According to a statement from Jeff Novitzky in 2022, many fighters complained about the agency’s “challenging” app, which led to disruptions in the drug-testing process. In response, Novitzky urged fighters to contact him directly instead.

Now, it could be that all of those mounting issues, combined with the Conor McGregor case that ultimately influenced the UFC’s decision to end its partnership with USADA after eight years and launch their own in-house anti-doping program in 2024, comprised of Drug Free Sport International (DFSI), Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) and SMRTL laboratories.

However, alongside the UFC’s response, the former two-division champion also reacted to the claims made by the expose.

Conor McGregor reacts to PED allegations ahead of UFC 329   

For the Irishman, facing allegations of using banned PEDs ahead of his UFC 329 comeback against Max Holloway is certainly a serious accusation. However, McGregor maintained his stance that the medical treatment was solely intended to help him recover from the devastating injury, and he described the allegations as “strange.”

“Shocking! Shocking!” McGregor told Ariel Helwani a few days ago. “A man’s private medical, from the most devastating injury that you’ll see in combat sports. The whole thing is strange to me. You have an injury like that, you’re not going to walk again! The objective should be to get that athlete, that fighter, who has given his life, his limb, his livelihood for the entertainment of the people and for the profit of the company, it should be, ‘Get this man back on his feet.’ And that was not the case.

“Not with the UFC, but with the former body that was there prior. And I find that strange, and I find that wrong. All I cared about was, I’m airlifted out of this f–king arena, with my leg hanging off, how am I going to walk again? A bar, do this, do that, do it. That’s it.”

While he did not refute the allegations made by the NYT report, his anger remained with the USADA’s treatment of him. However, he is grateful for the support he received from the UFC brass, especially CBO Hunter Campbell, who claimed during a 2023 media scrum that the agency had treated the Irishman ‘disgustingly.’ Hunter Campbell, for his part, also described the former UFC champion as a man of “honor and integrity” while portraying the entire narrative as “fake.”

Regardless of the ongoing controversy, one thing remains certain: Conor McGregor is now cleared to make his comeback, and we could see him face Holloway on July 11 if everything remains on track.