Charles
Oliveira has Conor
McGregor on the brain.
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The former UFC lightweight champion has called for a fight with the
Irish star repeatedly in recent months, and it seems to be
something he won’t put behind him. Oliveira relinquished the
155-pound belt when he missed weight prior to UFC 274, but a finish
of Justin
Gaethje in the main event means “Do Bronx” will almost
certainly get to compete for the vacant title in his next
promotional appearance.
In a recent interview with
ESPN Brazil, Oliveira reiterated that McGregor would be his
first choice of opponent in that title bout.
“It would be a very good fight for me,” Oliveira said. “It would
put a lot of money in my pocket, and [at this moment] that’s the
most important thing. And it would also be really good for my
legacy, for me to have in my story. Regardless, if he’s coming from
defeat or not, he’s a guy who’s made history, so I think it would
be great, but it’s not just up to me. If it were up to me, this
fight would already be happening.”
McGregor is still recovering from a broken leg suffered against
Dustin
Poirier at UFC 264 last July, and his return date remains
unclear. More significantly, the Dublin native has won just won MMA
bout since 2017. Still, his marketability remains attractive to
potential opponents, including Oliveira.
“I have a daughter to raise,” Oliveira said. “Everyone wants to
fight Conor, it’s not just me who wants to. Everyone knows that
fighting Conor is very profitable. I’m talking about money. And
Conor knows that, that everyone wants to fight him.”
Islam
Makhachev is widely considered the other top contender for the
lightweight belt, but Oliveira has previously stated that he
believes the Dagestani needs another victory before challenging for
championship gold.
“I’ve never ran from a fight and the lightweight champion is called
Charles
Oliveira,” Oliveira said. “Is Islam a very tough guy? Yep. Did
he fight big names? No. He’s on a big streak, but who did he
fight?”
Oliveira disputes the notion that Makhachev’s wrestling and
grappling would cause him problems in a potential fight.
“I don’t care about his fighting style,” Oliveira said. “What he
does best, I do 10 times more. If he thinks that putting down
everyone [on the ground] he [fought] is the same thing as
[fighting] Charles
Oliveira, he is completely wrong.”