Charles Oliveira revealed he’s still intrigued by a potential fight against Conor McGregor.
Over the past two years, McGregor has voiced interest in fighting a handful of different opponents for his Octagon return, including Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Oliviera, and more.
‘The Notorious’ seemed locked in on fighting Chandler after coaching against each other on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31. With that said, the former two-division UFC champion has teased the possibility of moving on from the matchup against ‘Iron,’ creating an opportunity for another fighter to secure a massive payday.
During an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Oliveira had this to say about his interest in fighting McGregor:
“What’s happening is that I’m here. I’m just waiting for him. All he needs to do is tell me the place and the time, and I’ll be there…I don’t know [if the fight against McGregor will happen]. I’m here. Where is Conor?”
Before focusing on the McGregor matchup, Oliveira has a massive challenge waiting in Abu Dhabi later this year. On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ looks to avenge his loss against Islam Makhahcev for the UFC lightweight title. The championship rematch will headline UFC 294 inside the Etihad Arena.
Oliveira will have his work cut out for him, as things didn’t go his way when he fought Makhachev in October 2022. At UFC 280, the world-class Russian defeated ‘Do Bronx’ by a second-round submission to become the lightweight king.
Charles Oliveira is willing to fight Conor McGregor at any weight
Once Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon, it’s unclear what weight class he plans to compete in. The former two-division UFC champion last fought at lightweight, but welterweight isn’t out of the question now that he’s added size.
During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Charles Oliveira had this to say about what weight he’s willing to fight McGregor at:
“[I’ll fight McGregor at] 170, 183, doesn’t matter. All he needs to do is stop and do it.”
After losing his last fight against Dustin Poirier, McGregor removed himself from the USADA testing pool. Therefore, ‘The Notorious’ must be approved by the drug-screening agency before making his highly-anticipated return.
McGregor is expected to fulfill his obligations and fight again in December of this year or early 2024.
Charles Oliveira talks Conor McGregor#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/1XxL2r4G62
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 7, 2023
