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The next UFC lightweight title fight is set to take place as former champion Charles Oliveira will face-off against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. But could Conor McGregor's sheer fame make him the next title-challenger?
Charles Oliveira has already stated that Conor McGregor is the fight he wants if he gets past Islam Makhachev. And who wouldn't want to fight Conor? Everybody wants a 'red-panty night'- as Joe Rogan would say.
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Despite ‘The Notorious’ not actually having won a fight since January 2020, handing him a shot at Oliveira, should ‘Do Bronx’ win in October, actually makes business sense for the UFC. Conor McGregor is, undisputedly and by far, the biggest draw in all of combat sports.
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With that in mind, here are five reasons why Conor McGregor could be next for Charles Oliveira if he beats Islam Makhachev on October 22.
#5. A win over Islam Makhachev would mean Charles Oliveira has earned the right to call his shots
While Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered the greatest lightweight in UFC history, if Oliveira defeats Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, it’d be hard not to consider the Brazilian right up there with the Dagestani. Makhachev and Khabib are like brothers, having grown up and trained together in the mountainous terrain along the Caspian sea. AKA head-coach Javier Mendez previously revealed that Islam used to outwrestle Nurmagomedov in the gym.
A win over Makhachev would put ‘do Bronx’ on a ludicrous 12-fight win streak. He is already dominating a division that is, simply put, "a murderer's row."
Surely the promotion ought to let him call the shots for his next bout. In that case, he may want to fight Conor McGregor.
After all, Oliveira has been with the UFC for well over a decade now. He’s never backed down from any opponent during his tenure with the promotion, he is richly deserving of a big payday. Naturally, fighting ‘The Notorious’ would guarantee that.
The UFC has handed favors to their legendary champions in the past. Matching Tito Ortiz with Ken Shamrock, for instance, and looking to make a fight between Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar.
#4. Conor McGregor wouldn’t actually be leapfrogging anyone in the queue for a title shot
If the UFC had allowed Conor McGregor to leapfrog over Islam Makhachev in the queue for a lightweight title shot, then quite rightly, a number of MMA enthusiasts would’ve been angry.
Makhachev is clearly the top contender in the division right now after reeling off ten wins in a row, while ‘The Notorious’ has not won at 155lbs since he beat Eddie Alvarez back in 2016.
However, Makhachev is getting his title shot against Charles Oliveira, meaning justice has been done. If ‘do Bronx’ beats the Dagestani, then realistically, there’s no clear-cut top contender behind him.
If the promotion were to let McGregor fight Oliveira in 2023, nobody could really have any complaints, although there might be some murmurs about Beneil Dariush. Oliveira already holds wins over Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
Sure, McGregor is only the twelfth-ranked contender in the division right now, but the fighters he would be stepping over are none too impressive.
#3. The UFC could fill the Maracana Football Stadium in Brazil with a fight between Charles Oliveira and Conor McGregor
The last time the UFC visited Brazil was way back in March 2019, in the promotion’s final event before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc over their plans.
It looks like 2023 will mark another push into South America. Dana White has already announced that January’s UFC 283 card will take place in Rio de Janeiro. Also, the promotion are introducing their Fight Pass streaming service there too.
UFC 283 will probably be too early for a potential Charles Oliveira vs. Conor McGregor fight. McGregor is still nursing his ankle from the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight, but that wouldn’t stop the promotion from booking the clash in Brazil later in 2023.
The fight would bring back the remembrances of the Jose Aldo times of 2015, when 'Mystic Mac' knocked out the legendary Brazilian with a punch that was heard all around the world.
Given the star power of McGregor and Oliveira, the UFC could probably even pack to capacity Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracana Stadium.
#2. The UFC needs to make the most of Conor McGregor’s "Star Power" while they still can
Some fans would argue that because he hasn’t won a fight in so long now, Conor McGregor’s next bout ought to be a "tune-up" fight against a non-elite opponent.
It’d be fair to say that ‘The Notorious’ has not earned a title shot. But, it’d be silly to waste the Irishman’s star power on anything less than a clash with Charles Oliveira if he can get past Islam Makhachev.
At the age of 34, McGregor is coming towards the end of his athletic prime, particularly when you consider the grievous leg injury he suffered in his 2021 fight with Dustin Poirier.
Despite his outlandish Twitter claims, ‘The Notorious’ simply isn’t the same fighter that he was when he claimed both the UFC featherweight and lightweight titles. In all honesty, he’d probably be the underdog against any of the lightweight division’s top seven right now.
Essentially, if he loses too many fights, then his star power will begin to wane badly – perhaps even to the point where so many fans aren’t willing to pay to watch him.
Before that happens, then, the UFC ought to attempt to make the most of him – and that means booking him in the biggest fights possible. Right now, there would be no bigger fight for him than Oliveira.
#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Conor McGregor would be a fun stylistic matchup
The biggest fights in UFC history haven’t always been the best in terms of entertainment value, but that certainly wouldn’t be likely to be the case if the promotion were to book Charles Oliveira vs. Conor McGregor.
Neither man has ever really been in a dull fight, and both of them have a tendency to come into the octagon with guns blazing from the outset.
On paper, you’d naturally give Oliveira the edge. Not only is ‘do Bronx’ the most accomplished submission artist in UFC history, with a record total of 16 tapouts to his name, but he’s also demonstrated scary striking power as of late, knocking out Michael Chandler, and dropping Justin Gaethje too.
However, Oliveira has been knocked out before. He’s been able to take plenty of his opponents down but he doesn’t possess the wrestling of the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor's path to victory could lie in utilizing his strengths. At his best, the Irishman was a virtuoso at finding his range and firing heavy punches from nifty angles that his opponents never saw coming.
We haven’t seen that version of ‘The Notorious’ in some time, but his win over Donald Cerrone reminded us how creative he is- hurting Cerrone with 'shoulder strikes' before finishing the fight with straight lefts down the pipe.
When you add in the fact that between them, McGregor and Oliveira have only gone the distance on five occasions – despite combining for a total of 44 bouts in the octagon – there’s simply no way this fight could possibly be anything but great.
