John Kavanagh is not ready to write off Conor McGregor just yet. The longtime head coach of SBG Ireland, who has guided McGregor through his entire career as the promotion's former featherweight and lightweight champion, says his fighter still intends to compete again after an ACL injury halted his latest comeback push.

Speaking about the setback, Kavanagh said he won't doubt him, a short but telling vote of confidence in a fighter who has spent long stretches out of the cage over the past several years.

Kavanagh also used the moment to push back on skeptics who suggested McGregor's injury situation wasn't on the level. Addressing what he called the conspiracy theorists out there, Kavanagh said McGregor walked in with no injury, zero injury, suggesting the ACL problem is exactly what it has been described as and not something fabricated to delay a fight.

The comments come at a strange point in McGregor's career. That result, combined with the ACL injury that scuttled his planned comeback, has left McGregor's timeline murkier than ever.

Still, with his own coach publicly backing a return, the door clearly has not closed on another McGregor fight. Whether that means a targeted opponent, a specific event, or simply more rehab before any date gets discussed, Kavanagh's comments make clear that inside the McGregor camp, the plan has not changed. The UFC's biggest draw is hurt, not retired, and the people closest to him are still talking about what comes next rather than whether there will be a next fight at all.