Conor McGregor's return could "drag out into a real ugly situation" with UFC over contract, says Ariel Helwani

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has shared his thoughts on Conor McGregor's return to the octagon. Helwani recently sat down for a chat with Eric Richter for New York Post Sports.

During the interaction, Helwani spoke about the Irishman and mentioned how factors like the number of fights left on McGregor's UFC contract could possibly play a role in his return to the UFC octagon.

Helwani added that he hoped that McGregor's comeback does not get delayed by the UFC due to contract-related issues and the Irishman is able to fight when he's ready.

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"There's a lot of factors at play, there's two fights left. That's a big part of this... They [the UFC] don't him [Conor McGregor] walking away and fighting for someone else... I just hope they don't let this thing drag out because it could. It could drag out into a really ugly situation. I don't think we're there yet but I hope it's not a contract-play at play here. And that you know, when he is ready to go, they honor and give him a fight because we're long overdue at this point."

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below:

Fans have been eagerly waiting for 'The Notorious' to grace the UFC octagon once again. McGregor has been out of action for over three years.

His last fight took place at UFC 264 in July 2021. He locked horns against Dustin Poirier in a trilogy showdown that night. McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury in the closing seconds of the first round and lost the encounter via TKO.

'Mystic Mac' was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler in July this year. The scrap was supposed to headline UFC 303 on July 29 during International Fight Week. But the Irishman suffered an injury and as a result, had to withdraw from the fight.

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