Ariel Helwani speaks on the only thing standing in the way of a Conor McGregor return

Conor McGregor's return to the octagon remains uncertain even two years after his last UFC outing against Dustin Poirier.

While the Irishman made a return as a TUF coach opposite Michael Chandler, no progress appears to have been made regarding their subsequently promised clash. 'Notorious' continues to tease a return with cryptic tweets despite having failed to submit any USADA samples, leading to a stalemate with the testing agency.

Ariel Helwani believes Conor McGregor is keen on returning to put on a show for his fans. While the Canadian journalist expects McGregor back in the cage by next year, he believes there is a major factor standing in the way: Father Time.

Speaking of McGregor's potential return, Helwani recently told the Daily Star:

"If he comes back next year, it's like two and a half years – you wonder about the commitments and distractions, the motivation, things of that nature. So it's hard to say... Father Time is undefeated, as they say, and it's hard as you grow older, and you have those long lay-offs, to get back. I think the fires there, the question is like, is he gonna train as much and all that? Only he could truly answer that question."

Apart from being invested in several business ventures, McGregor is a parent to three kids along with his fiancee Dee Devlin, with a fourth already on the way.

---

Dana White hasn't shut the door on Conor McGregor's UFC return this year

While Conor McGregor hasn't submitted his USADA sample on time for a possible return this year, there is a provision for an exemption under special circumstances. According to Dana White, he is '100%' confident about the fight coming to fruition by the end of the year.

Asked about McGregor's absence from the testing pool, the UFC head honcho recently told TSN's Aaron Bronsteter:

“We’ll see how that plays out. (USADA) is saying that now, but who knows? I don’t talk about s―t until s—t happens. To sit here and think hypothetically how a million different things could happen, no idea. The Conor thing, who the hell knows how that’s going to play out? Who cares what USADA says?”

Catch White's comments below:

Meanwhile, Conor McGregor also revealed a timeline for the Chandler fight in a now-deleted tweet.