Conor McGregor Accused of Using Banned Drugs for Recovery Ahead of UFC Return

According to an investigative report from The New York Times, Conor McGregor is accused of using "powerful, banned drugs" to recover from his infamous leg break that he suffered against Dustin Poirier during their trilogy fight back in July 2021 at UFC 264. The news comes just one month away from his return fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329, five years removed from his leg break, which also happens to be the last time McGregor competed in the UFC.

McGregor's surgeon and prominent sports physician, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, told The Times that he had sent the fighter to bone healing specialists after repairing his broken leg after the Poirier fight.

McGregor Finds a Loophole

After McGregor consulted a bone healing specialist, ElAttrache says he wrote a letter to help McGregor apply for a "therapeutic use exemption," which, according to ElAttrache, would permit him to use banned substances for healing.

ElAttrache, who is also the team doctor for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Rams, defended his letter to support McGregor's healing process.

"You are acting as if ‘banned drugs' are somehow ‘illegal drugs' or that they have no legitimate therapeutic use and only have performance enhancement use," ElAttrache told The Times. "There are many ‘banned drugs' on the list, which are necessary to medically treat various conditions which occur in people. That is why a therapeutic use exemption application exists.

ElAttrache claims he based his support on science, but did not cite specific research.

Additionally, The Times reported that they interviewed ten sports doctors, anti-doping experts, sports officials, and trauma surgeons who have all never heard of a professional athlete who had ever been granted a special exemption to use a performance-enhancing drug for that purpose.

The Times also spoke to anti-doping expert and former Olympian Dr. David Gerrard, who helped the World Anti-Doping Agency create standards for who gets to receive therapeutic exemptions.

He stated, "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."

Two anonymous individuals interviewed by The Times alleged McGregor applied for the exemption so that he could freely use performance-enhancing drugs without an infraction.

During this time, the UFC was still with its former drug-testing partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA officials believed that McGregor was using this application and ElAttrache's letter to exploit a loophole in their system, which led to a breakdown of a close relationship between the agency and the UFC.

Fans Say They Know and Don't Care

The full article, written by New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt, goes into full detail about the UFC's shifting drug-test policies, how McGregor removed himself from the testing pool after his surgery, and comments from McGregor's team and UFC officials.

The report, however, only gave investigative confirmation of what UFC fans had already long thought. Here are some responses to Schmidt's post on X, sharing his expose:

"Not surprised. We all know he was avoiding the anti-doping testing protocol."

"No duh! He was like four times his normal size. Not rocket science."

"Of course he did, his f- leg snapped! He was making sure it healed properly. He wasn't fighting and hasn't fought since, so who the hell cares! It's a non-story. I guarantee Anderson Silva did the same when his leg snapped."

"The only thing interesting about this is that if you want someone who knows how to manage a PED protocol, you go to an MLB and NFL team doctor, as they're apparently experts in it and hooking up all their pro athletes."

"There's nothing new or exclusive about this. Every MMA fan in the world heard about this like 4 years ago."

"I mean, yeah. He left the testing pool. That was the whole point."

"Contrary to popular belief (I guess), you can take steroids and fight in the UFC. You cannot take steroids WHILE fighting in the UFC."

"You ever think about jumpin' on some test, Mike? You look like you could use it."

McGregor's physical transformation was especially obvious when he seemed to be visibly bulked up during his time outside of the UFC testing pool from October 2022 til October 2023.

(Via Conor McGregor on X):

Featherweight to super heavyweight. pic.twitter.com/SQx83eYDyD

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 4, 2023

Even UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan commented on McGregor's physique on his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience."

(Via PowerfulJRE on YouTube):

"He's taking his shirt off and posing constantly, and he looks like his piss would melt that USADA cup," Rogan said back in 2022.

"The weird thing is that there is a loophole in USADA that allows you to get out of the testing pool. Get out of the testing pool; you can just juice up. Seems weird, and you just need six months. If someone had an injury, though, that's a very wise way to approach it," Rogan said, almost prophetically.

Schmidt's report does give fans some new information, including Dr. ElAttache's role in McGregor's comeback, as well as anonymous sources that claim McGregor actively evaded USADA officials.

These new facts, however, aren't much of a revelation to the UFC fanbase, a majority of which will likely tune in to McGregor's return come July this year.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 10:12 PM.