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Conor McGregor spent some time in New York City this week buying expensive clothes, participating in the UFC 205 press conference and—maybe—smoking weed. What else could he be doing in that photo?
Sure, it’s possible he’s smoking a rollie, but this is a dude who hangs out on Fifth Ave., not Bedford, so that seems unlikely. Then again, it seems even more unlikely that he’s smoking a joint. Surely McGregor knows the potential consequences he faces for toking up. And even if he was willing to risk those to take the edge off, would he really be dumb enough to put a picture of it Instagram? He’s taken a lot of hits to the head, but not enough to do that.
Turns out that McGregor is unlikely to get in trouble even if he was smoking weed. He is firmly in the out-of-competition period, and during that time the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency doesn’t prohibit marijuana.
If McGregor keeps smoking and does somehow get in trouble, he wouldn’t be the first UFC fighter to do so, just the biggest. After his third positive test for marijuana following UFC 183, Nick Diaz was suspended for five years and fined $165,000 by the Nevada Athletic Commission. The suspension was reduced to 18 months in January and ended in August.
When Diaz’s suspension was initially handed down, other UFC fighters to shit a brick. Here’s what Ronda Rousey had to say about it: “I’m sorry, but it’s so not right for him to be suspended 5 years for marijuana. I’m against testing for weed at all. It’s not a performance enhancing drug. And it has nothing to do with competition. It’s only tested for political reasons.”
Most recently, Diaz’s brother Nate raised eyebrows after puffing on a vape pen following his UFC 202 loss to McGregor. While he escaped punishment in Nevada, the USADA is still looking into a possible punishment. In the meantime, you can bet Diaz is still smoking.