Chael Sonnen gets brutally honest about Conor McGregor's 18-month suspension, believes Irishman "purposefully" avoided tests

Chael Sonnen recently gave his thoughts on Conor McGregor's 18-month suspension, claiming that the UFC superstar avoided testing deliberately to escape a harsher punishment.

The Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) agency, which controls the UFC’s anti-doping program, has suspended McGregor for 18 months after the Irishman failed to provide testing samples on multiple occasions. He will be permitted to make his octagon return early next year.

McGregor's suspension caught the attention of Sonnen, who recently shared his opinions on his YouTube channel. The UFC Hall of Famer believes that McGregor's actions were intentional, as the authorities knew his ''whereabouts":

''Every dog gets one bite. Everybody gets a pass. It’s quite literally the reason why they give you three strikes in a calendar year. Everybody’s allowed to be wrong. Everybody’s allowed to be heavy sleeper... And my envision of what happened here with Conor is something very similar. I’m guessing, but I’m just telling you I believe having this lived this life, I believe they did have his whereabouts. I believe it was accurately updated."

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Sonnen continued:

"I believe he did purposefully not allow them to test him. That’s my belief. I’m not overly upset about it. I’m not overly pointing the finger at Conor. I’m sharing, as a fellow scumbag, some of the psychology that goes in to living that life and trying to stay one step ahead. It’s a great gig until it’s up.''

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (6:22):

Ex-champion wants to face Conor McGregor at UFC White House

Conor McGregor hasn't competed since 2021, when he broke his leg in the opening round against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He was then scheduled to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last year. However, a toe injury spoiled his highly anticipated comeback. The 37-year-old is now aiming to compete at the UFC White House card in June 2026.

Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who will headline UFC Rio in a matchup against Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday, spoke to reporters during the media day, expressing his desire to fight McGregor at UFC White House:

''When we talk about legacy, that’s going to be gigantic... I don’t even like to say that. Everybody knows what would be the fight there, Charles Oliveira and Conor McGregor. That’s the money fight... He’s never said a bad thing about me. Quite the opposite, I’m always saying good things about him. He’s made history inside the cage, beat great names.'' [H/t: MMA Fighting]

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Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

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