Conor McGregor reportedly continued PED use after broken leg recovery
Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC this weekend after years away has brought some new reporting about his use of PED and increased criticism about his activities from the last few years.
On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that even after recovering from a broken leg that saw him use banned substances while on the retired list, McGregor “took two of the most powerful performance-enhancing drugs — anabolic steroids and human growth hormone — even after his leg healed” according to two people close to the matter.
From the NYT piece: “One of the people said U.F.C. officials learned from McGregor that he had remained on the drugs because he liked how they made him feel and the energy they gave him.”
Both McGregor and the UFC have defended his use of the drugs during his recovery — a story which saw Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache get exonerated by Major League Baseball for his role in supporting their use with McGregor’s recovery.
McGregor suffered the leg injury in his last fight back in 2021. While it’s unclear how long he took the drugs for, he began being tested again in October 2023. Two years later, he received an 18-month backdated suspension for missing three tests between then.
During Wednesday’s UFC 329 media day, McGregor was asked about his well-publicized civil sexual assault court case in which he lost, proclaiming his innocence:
“I’m an innocent man, and I stand for my innocence until the day I go out. There’s a reason it went to a civil trial. It stings deep, I continue to fight. I know the truth, and I know that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. I trust in God that it’s coming. You best believe it’s coming. I look very forward to the day.”
McGregor will rematch Max Holloway this Saturday in Las Vegas.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.