Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje - Ariel Helwani plays matchmaker for Irishman's return, argues Michael Chandler is bigger fight than Charles Oliveira

(L to R) Conor McGregor, Ariel Helwani, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler [via @mikechandlermma on Instagram], Charles Oliveira

Ariel Helwani recently suggested potential matchups for Conor McGregor's return to the octagon. According to Helwani, Justin Gaethje is the ideal matchup for McGregor, considering the similarities in their style.

While Helwani believes that a Nate Diaz trilogy would have been perfect, he doesn't see the fight coming to fruition due to varying timelines. The 39-year-old recently said in an episode of On the Nose on MMA Fighting:

"As for Conor, honestly, I think the fight for him is Justin Gaethje. I feel like it's the right style, it's a name. I mean in a perfect world you would do the Diaz fight. But then he [McGregor] isn't ready to come back and the Diaz situation is weird, he doesn't wanna wait."

Helwani also argued that Michael Chandler could be a bigger matchup for McGregor than Charles Oliveira due to the former Bellator champion's rising popularity. While the Oliveira fight will have lightweight gold on the line, Helwani believes 'Notorious' is bigger than any title. The veteran journalist further said:

"The Chandler fight would be a big one. It will be gigantic. You could make a case right now that a Chandler fight would almost be bigger than the Oliveira fight just because Chandler's become so popular. And I know it's Conor fighting for the belt, but he is bigger than any belt. So if you're looking for the biggest fight possible for Conor right now, you can make a case, other than the Diaz trilogy, it's Chandler because Chandler's become such a big deal."

Watch the latest episode of On the Nose below:

Conor McGregor opens up as an underdog in future potential bout against Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler scored a brutal knockout win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. A natural with the microphone, 'Iron' issued a callout to Conor McGregor in his post-fight octagon interview.

Watch Chandler's post-fight interview below:

Chandler called out McGregor after his KO win 🗣 #UFC274 https://t.co/m7Rk5jTrvE

McGregor also expressed interest in a future outing even if not an immediate one. 'Notorious' opened up as a slight underdog in a potential future outing against Chandler. While the Irishman opened as a +135 underdog, the former Bellator champion was a favorite at -155.

UFC:
Conor McGregor (+135)
Michael Chandler (-155)

bestfightodds.com/events/ufc-2529 @TheNotoriousMMA @MikeChandlerMMA