Conor McGregor used banned drugs during leg rehab, NYT reports

Conor McGregor used banned performance-enhancing drugs while rehabbing his broken leg, according to a New York Times investigation published this week.

The report, citing two people with direct knowledge of the matter, states that McGregor received the substances with the backing of prominent sports physician Neal ElAttrache. The doctor told the Times he did not prescribe steroids or hormones himself but referred McGregor to a specialist who did. ElAttrache then helped draft a therapeutic use exemption request, which USADA denied. McGregor subsequently retired from the UFC, removing himself from the testing pool.

Doctor defends therapeutic use of banned substances

ElAttrache pushed back on the framing of McGregor's treatment as improper. "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," he told the paper. "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."

The Times piece also detailed the 2024 split between the UFC and USADA, as well as McGregor's subsequent whereabouts failures that led to an 18-month ban. What it did not mention: McGregor was tested over 70 times by USADA between 2015 and 2023, making him one of the most scrutinized fighters in UFC history. Drug Free Sport International has now tested him 12 times in 2026 alone.

McGregor is scheduled to return at UFC 329 on July 11. The New York Times has published multiple investigations into McGregor's legal troubles in recent years, including a 2024 civil verdict finding him liable for assaulting a hairdresser in 2018.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — New York Times slams Conor McGregor for using PEDs to treat broken leg