Conor McGregor leads UFC fighters for drug tests in 2026

Conor McGregor continues to be the most drug-tested fighter in the UFC, despite not fighting in nearly five years.

The UFC’s official drug testing partner routinely tests fighters at random, often showing up to gyms and homes unexpectedly — though seemingly not as relentlessly as they did when the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was running the show.

As with previous years, McGregor has gotten more drug testing attention than anybody else. As of April 3, the Irishman has been tested a whopping eight times. That’s almost three times a month. He is trailed most closely by Julius Walker and Melquizael Costa, both of whom have only been tested four times this year. Many other fighters have been tested three times.

Jed. I Goodman has the numbers on X.

Conor McGregor has been drug-tested 8 times by UFC in 2026

The Anti-Doping Test History database has been updated. (Updated Apr 3)

657 fighters have been tested in 2026. 1260 total samples collected year to date.

Fighters with the most test sessions in 2026:
(Showing those that have 3 or more this year)

Conor McGregor: 8
Julius…

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 3, 2026

It’s understandable that Conor McGregor is getting a little extra attention from drug testers lately. In October of last year, it was announced that he had failed to provide his whereabouts to agents, and was handed an 18-month suspension as a result. Because that suspension was retroactive to the date of the offense, it ended in March. That being said, McGregor has clocked as the most drug-tested fighter in the UFC in many previous years, long before his recent issues with declaring his whereabouts.

McGregor has not fought since a stoppage loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021, which left him with a broken leg. He has repeatedly teased comeback plans since then, but it hasn’t happened. That said, he seems to be closer than ever to fighting again these days. It is widely rumored he’ll return to the UFC during International Fight Week this July. It remains unclear who his opponent would be in that event.