Go for the money - Javier Mendez advises Charles Oliveira to pursue Conor McGregor fight

Javier Mendez has offered a piece of advice to UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. The AKA head coach believes 'Do Bronx' should target a fight against Conor McGregor solely for financial reasons.

Mendez, the coach of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, recalled how Dustin Poirier opted to take the money fight against McGregor instead of a title shot. He stated that the fight against 'The Notorious' took Poirier's stardom to another level.

In an interview with Helen Yee, Mendez was asked who Oliveira should fight next. He answered:

"Go [for] the money. Probably [the Conor fight]. The UFC is a business, they're going to do what they're going to do. So I would think that, look what Dustin did. He went for the money. So, a lot of these fighters have attended a certain status, they show their worth by what they do, they go for the money whereas other fighters show their status by where their heart lies, like they go for the title so in this particular case I'm thinking, since you already has the title, he's going for the money."

Charles Oliveira recently defended his lightweight strap against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. The Brazilian has enjoyed a rampant win streak inside the octagon and has not lost a fight since 2017.

Oliveira recently hinted at a possible fight against Conor McGregor when the Irishman called him out following UFC 269. However, it remains likely that 'Do Bronx' will face either Justin Gaethje or the winner of the upcoming lightweight fight between Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush.

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Javier Mendez thinks Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev

Javier Mendez believes that Islam Makhachev will capture the lightweight belt in 2022. Mendez also stated that the winner of the upcoming fight between Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush is that rightful next contender for Oliveira's belt.

He said:

"[Islam Makhachev] will win the title. I know he's going to win the title but in a perfect situation, it's going to be this year... By win percentage, The winner of Islam and Beneil [should fight Charles Oliveira]. It shouldn't be anybody else, because they can get more eyeballs to screen but in the promotion business it's about who can bring the most money, we have seen it too many times... So this is a business first."

Watch Javier Mendez's full interview with Helen Yee below:

Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush are set to face off in a UFC Fight Night scheduled for February 26th.

Islam Makhachev enjoyed a stellar run in 2021. The Russian secured three submission victories last year against Drew Dober, Thiago Moises and Dan Hooker.

Currently ranked No.4 in the 155 lbs division, Makhachev is gearing up for the biggest year of his career so far in 2022.