McGregor says recovery, not banned drugs, was his focus after leg break

Conor McGregor said his first goal after the July 10, 2021 leg break at UFC 264 was recovery, not controversy, after fracturing both his tibia and fibula in the fight against Dustin Poirier and undergoing surgery. That account has now been overtaken by a June 11, 2026 New York Times report by Michael S. Schmidt that said McGregor used “powerful, banned drugs” during the long road back, as he moved closer to a return after nearly five years away from the Octagon.

McGregor pushed back by saying his priority was “walking again” and that he did not even know exactly what he had taken. The Times report said Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who repaired the leg, referred McGregor to another specialist, and that a therapeutic use exemption was sought but never granted.

The dispute turns on what those substances were and how the rules treat them. USADA said it does not allow fighters without an approved medical basis to use performance-enhancing drugs such as “experimental, unapproved peptides or testosterone” for healing or injuries, and WADA’s prohibited list classifies substances including anabolic agents and peptide hormones as banned, with some prohibited at all times and others only in competition.

That is why the case has become more than a recovery story. It suggests a divide between legitimate medical care and elite access: McGregor had a prominent surgeon, a specialist referral and a formal exemption request, a pathway that raises the question of how easily a superstar can move through the system compared with ordinary fighters.

UFC later defended McGregor and rejected the Times account. The episode also renewed scrutiny of the anti-doping structure that governed his recovery, even as the UFC and USADA ended their partnership as of Jan. 1, 2024, closing the chapter on the system that was in place when McGregor stepped out of competition after UFC 264.