Conor McGregor is an unpredictable character, but renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani believes he will fight again.
The Irishman’s next move is currently undetermined, as he was expected to fight Michael Chandler at the end of the year, with the pair appearing as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter to build the rivalry.
This would have been McGregor’s first fight back since July 2021 when he suffered a broken leg during his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier.
But, it now seems in doubt as McGregor is embroiled in a long-running dispute with the UFC’s drug testing team, the United States Anti-Doping Agency [USADA].
The 34-year-old recently missed the deadline to be able to re-enter the testing pool in time to fight before the end of 2023 and so unless he receives an exemption, he will not be able to return to the Octagon until next year at the earliest.
With that being said, Helwani believes that while we may not see McGregor in a bout this year, he will fight again.
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“I think he’ll fight, will he fight this year? I don’t know, it’s looking unlikely but nothing would surprise me,” Helwani told talkSPORT.
“But, I think we’ll see him fight again, I don’t think he’ll go out like this.
“He’s still relatively young and has a lot to prove in his mind.
“So, I think he’ll fight again and I wouldn’t be surprised if they just hold him at this point for UFC 300, which is coming up in the spring, but he will fight again.”
