MMA News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Images: MMA Fighting/YouTube & Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Ariel Helwani Explains Why UFC Is 'Playing With Fire' By Delaying Conor McGregor's Comeback

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 1/4/24

A date has been attached to former two-division champion Conor McGregor's UFC return, but prominent combat sports reporter Ariel Helwani isn't sure it's the right one...

McGregor, an ex-featherweight and lightweight titleholder, initially had 2023 earmarked as the year in which he would make the walk once again. The announcement came alongside confirmation that he would return to The Ultimate Fighter to coach opposite planned opponent Michael Chandler.

But after the conclusion of the show, the matchup remained without an event, with a USADA dispute seemingly delaying the Irishman's comeback.

Having returned to the testing pool a few months back, McGregor took to social media on New Year's Eve with an announcement, claiming that he'll compete against Chandler on June 28 for International Fight Week.

That timeline comes despite both "The Notorious" and many fans calling for him to top the historic UFC 300 lineup this coming April.

Helwani: You Only Get So Many Chances With McGregor At This Point

During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani confirmed that McGregor's statement is accurate and assessed whether the UFC has made the correct decision.

Given the Dubliner's desire to fight at UFC 300, as well as the seemingly limited options for standout matchups toward the top of the card, the Canadian journalist thinks the promotion is "playing with fire" by choosing against adding McGregor to the April 13 equation.

"Everything can change, but he is not fighting at UFC 300 (as of today)," Helwani said. "From what I was told, he really wanted to fight at 300 and he was upset, he was disappointed... They feel like they can get their big (PPV) number just by 300 alone... then you get him later on down the line, International Fight Week, and you get two bites at that million-buy apple, so to speak.

"I personally think it's a little bit of a mistake given the landscape right now, given who's available, given the big names fighting at 298, 299, 297. I don't see the big fight out there," Helwani continued. "(UFC) is somewhat playing with fire. You have a revved and ready-to-go Conor McGregor, the biggest draw in the history of the game, you have UFC 300 in a little over three months. You've gotta unleash the beast! I think you're playing with fire... You only get so many chances with Conor at this stage in his life and career... It reminds me of a kid who has a chocolate bar and its keeps nibbling at it because he wants to save it, and then the bar gets spoiled or melted and he regrets not just devouring it."

The organization looks to believe that the historic nature of UFC 300 and a stacked lineup throughout should do the trick when it comes to achieving significant pay-per-view buys.

Although not many have announcements have been made, three matchups have been revealed for the event; Jiří Procházka vs. Aleksandar Rakić, Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling, and Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage.

While the UFC prepares to break more news about the card in the coming weeks, McGregor looks to be gearing up for his consistently delayed return down the line.