Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Conor McGregor is set to make his long-awaited return to the UFC after more than five years out of cage when he squares off with Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July.
But he’ll do so under dubious circumstances.
Not only has McGregor faced countless legal issues in his time away from the UFC, but he also faced allegations of PED use after getting noticeably larger than he was in his time with the company. McGregor also had a lengthy saga with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency regarding his status in the testing pool.
However, throughout his time away, McGregor maintained that he never took a banned substance. Now, the New York Times reports that McGregor was not honest about that fact.
Conor McGregor Took Powerful Banned Substances After Breaking Leg
In McGregor’s last appearance in the octagon, he suffered a brutal broken leg after throwing a kick at opponent Dustin Poirier.
Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times reports that after the broken leg, McGregor took multiple banned substances. However, he did so at the advice of famed doctor Neil ElAttrache
“A New York Times investigation reveals that [McGregor] did take powerful, banned drugs, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter,” Schmidt reports. “And he did so with the support of one of the most prominent sports doctors in the world, according to the doctor himself.”
However, ElAttrache defended his recommendation, stating that it had nothing to do with giving McGregor a competitive advantage.
“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 said. “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.”
McGregor was previously scheduled to return to the UFC in 2024 against Michael Chandler, but was banned for 18 months after failing multiple whereabouts tests by USADA.
The UFC has since switched from USADA to Drug Free Sport International for its testing protocols.
What do you think, is McGregor’s PED use a black mark on his resume? Or, as ElAttrache states, were they a necessary means for recovery after a brutal injury? Let us know in the comments below!