Conor McGregor has commented on The New Times’ claim that he took performance-enhancing drugs.
Interviewed on the The Ariel Helwani Show
“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’s given his life, his limb, his livelihood for the entertainment of the people and the profit of the company, it should be to get this man back on his feet and that was not the case. Not with the UFC, but the former body (USADA) that was there prior and I find that strange, and I find that wrong,” he said.
McGregor argued the timing of the report too.
“I’m airlifted out of this f——g arena with my leg hanging off, ‘How am I going to walk again?’ A bar, ‘Do this, does that, do it.’ That’s it. That was that. The fact that five years after the fact, I just find it strange, to be honest. I feel the game has changed to accommodate a situation like that,” he said not saying whether he did or did not take such drugs.
“If a doctor is prescribing certain things and medications and stuff like that, otherwise you’re not going to walk again, There’s like a 20 percent chance that leg doesn’t join together. It’s called nonunion when the bone doesn’t join, and you’re left on a wobble forever. That’s what’s at stake here? F–k this fighting game! Are you crazy? I have children to raise and play with. I was a bit shocked that was the case. So whatever, I took myself out of the pool and listened to my doctors. I didn’t even ask questions. If you’re going to ask what was it, I don’t even know. I don’t want to know. All I want to know is what’s going to get me back on my f—–g feet to be able to play with my children in a normal capacity again. That was it,” he said.
The UFC itself also issued a statement today:
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. 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.
McGregor suffered the injury in his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
The fight ended abruptly when McGregor suffered a catastrophic leg injury at the end of Round 1. The bout was stopped immediately and McGregor required emergency surgery followed by a long rehabilitation period away from active competition.
The Times states McGregor used “powerful, banned drugs” during his recovery.
The doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, told The Times he did not “prescribe hormone or steroid treatment” but “he did write a letter supporting an application for a special exemption that would allow McGregor to use performance-enhancing drugs in his recovery.”
Dr. ElAttrache believes that exemption was denied by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. As he was not an active fighter and not part of the USADA testing schedule when he was injured, McGregor would have be to tested for six month before his return would be approved.
According to The Times, “McGregor had to disclose if he used banned substances while he was out of the testing pool prior to returning to the pool in October 2023. Allegedly, officials discovered McGregor had taken banned substances.”
Audie Attar, McGregor’s manager, told The Times that McGregor withdrew to better his healing and wouldn’t discuss the details of McGregor’s recovery.
“I could not recall ever seeing a case or agreeing to any performance-enhancing drug to help heal a broken bone. I cannot think of any banned substance that’s proven to help heal bones,” Dr. David Gerrard, an anti-doping expert and former World Anti-Doping Agency committee chairman. told The Times.
Conor McGregor will take on Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July.
