Conor McGregor will NOT return to fight in the UFC until NEXT YEAR as he recovers from broken leg, claims Ariel Helwani
CONOR McGREGOR will not make his return to the UFC until 2023, according to Ariel Helwani.
The Dubliner has been out of action since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier last July.
Talks has been rife concerning who McGregor will fight next upon his return to the octagon.
However, speaking on The MMAHour, host Ariel Helwani poured cold water on the idea that The Notorious will be back until next year.
He said: "Last I heard, by the way, Conor could come back February, March or so. It doesn’t look like he’s coming back in 2022.
"So now, here you have a guy who hasn’t fought since (July) of last year."
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Amongst the litany of the potential opponents for McGregor is longtime rival Nate Diaz.
The two men have already fought twice, both of which being substantial box office successes for the UFC.
They are also locked together at one win apiece since their last fight in 2016, ever since when fans have talked up the possibility of a trilogy fight.
However, Helwani questioned the wisdom of that potential clash, citing the number of variables that need to be negotiated before it was to happen.
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He argued: “He’s gonna wait a year-and-a-half for a dude that, obviously he knows he’ll make money fighting him, but does he really wanna sit around in the prime of his life when he’s as popular can be, for this fight?
“What if Conor is coming back, stumbles, and gets hurt again?
";There’s a million different things that could happen.
"There’s no guarantee that he’s coming back tomorrow, next month, the month after that, and the last I heard was early 2023.
"There’s no rush here, as there shouldn’t be a rush because he’s coming back from such a gruesome and serious injury.”
GIVE HIM A CHAND
Nate Diaz is just one of a number of fighters with whom Conor McGregor has been linked.
He has been engaged in a social media war of words with Jorge Masvidal, for one, while Khamzat Chimaev has suggested he would like to fight the Irishman.
Elsewhere, Michael Chandler believes he is the front runner to fight McGregor following his sensational KO win over Tony Ferguson.
It is a fight that UFC legend Daniel Cormier believes will happen, but one which Tito Ortiz believes McGregor should avoid.
MAC LIFE
While all of this is going on, Conor himself has been living the high life as he continues his recovery from injury.
He recently flew into Dublin to celebrate his sister, Erin's, 41st birthday, complete with a luxurious Rolex watch as a present.
It came after he spent time with his family in the south of France and Monaco.
During this time, he was the guest of honour of the Haas F1 team for the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, at which he was photographed with Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen.
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It was also during this time that he updated his fans as to who his return to the fight game.
However, it was BOXING and not MMA that McGregor designated as his first love, vowing to return to the squared circle.