Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t want to leave alone the news that Conor McGregor has been banned for 18 months due to an anti-doping violation.
The former lightweight world champions have one of the most bitter feuds in MMA history, which hasn’t cooled at all since their UFC 229 fight in 2018. They broke pay-per-view records as Nurmagomedov battered McGregor into submission in the fourth round, and continue to hate each other to this day.
And on Tuesday night, the legendary 29-0 Russian took to Instagram to share the news that McGregor had been suspended for 18 months. It followed a post two days earlier where he shared footage of their one-sided meeting from 2018.
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares Conor McGregor suspension news
On Tuesday evening, it was made public that Conor McGregor had been dealt an 18-month suspension for an anti-doping violation. He has still never failed a test, but he did fail to submit his whereabouts for testing on three separate occasions in 2024, resulting in the ban being handed down.
The news quickly spread around the MMA world, and Khabib Nurmagomedov spotted it, sharing it to his 40.4million+ followers. He linked to an ESPN news post, but cropped his share so that his rival’s head was cut off.
He didn’t opt to make a comment, instead allowing the news to speak for itself with his share. He posted the ESPN message among a series of other pictures and notes, and it comes just days after he shared an anniversary video showing the beatdown he put on McGregor seven years ago.
Conor McGregor banned for 18 months over anti-doping violation
On Tuesday evening, the UFC released a lengthy statement noting that Conor McGregor had been banned for 18 months after three instances of failing to provide whereabouts for drug testing. He has been suspended until March 2026, which would still allow him to return at the White House next year.
“Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) announced today that Conor McGregor, of Dublin, Ireland, has accepted an 18-month period of ineligibility for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP),” the statement read.
“McGregor missed three attempted biological sample collections within a 12-month period in 2024, which constitutes a violation of the UFC ADP.
“UFC athletes are required to provide accurate whereabouts information at all times, so they can be contacted and submit to biological sample collections without prior warning.
“McGregor’s missed tests occurred on June 13, September 19, and September 20, 2024, and were each classified as Whereabouts Failures by CSAD under the UFC ADP.
“Although McGregor failed to make himself available for testing on those dates, CSAD noted that he was recovering from an injury and was not preparing for an upcoming fight at the time of the three missed tests.
“McGregor fully cooperated with CSAD’s investigation, accepted responsibility, and provided detailed information that CSAD determined contributed to the missed tests.
“Despite these mitigating factors, CSAD emphasizes that accurate whereabouts filings and the ability to conduct unannounced testing are essential to the success of the UFC ADP.
“Taking McGregor’s cooperation and circumstances into account, CSAD reduced the standard 24-month sanction for three whereabouts failures by six months. His period of ineligibility began on September 20, 2024 (the date of his third whereabouts failure) and will conclude on March 20, 2026.”