UFC featherweight and Conor McGregor's sparring partner Artem Lobov has said the lightweight champion will return to MMA to defend his title, and he would beat Paulie Malignaggi if the two were to meet in a boxing match.
McGregor hasn't fought in UFC since becoming the first man to hold titles in two divisions at the same time by beating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, and was last seen inside a boxing ring, losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He developed a rivalry with sparring partner Malignaggi leading up to that fight, and the latter recently claimed discussions for a bout were ongoing in an interview with FightHype (warning: contains NSFW language):
Lobov believes McGregor is eager to defend his UFC title, however.