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Charles Oliveira didn’t forget to mention Conor McGregor’s contribution to the sport when he laid out his motive for pitching a fight against the Irishman.
Oliveira and McGregor are two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC lightweight division. The duo boast a combined 51 finishes and a mega-showdown between them is one of the biggest fights the UFC could put together.
While speaking to ESPN Brazil in a July 2022 interview, ‘Do Bronx’ said that McGregor would be his first choice of opponent for the vacant UFC lightweight title and explained what the fight would mean for his legacy:
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"It would be a very good fight for me. 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." [h/t ESPN]
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The former UFC lightweight champion was coming off a resounding first-round submission win over Justin Gaethje at the time of this interview. However, he was stripped of the title before the fight for weighing-in above the championship limit. It was speculated that a calibration error in the weighing scale caused Oliveira to miss.
The UFC 274 victory ensured that the Brazilian would fight in the subsequent vacant lightweight title fight. However, the opponent was not finalized for the former champion, and he attempted to bring Conor McGregor back into the octagon.
Charles Oliveira set to fight in a title eliminator bout in April
Charles Oliveira was scheduled to face his successor Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October 2023. However, a gnarly training injury forced him out of the bout and Makhachev defended the UFC lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski in a short-notice fight instead.
Meanwhile, rising contender Arman Tsarukyan worked his way into the top five of the division with a devastating knockout win over Beneil Dariush in December 2023.
UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Oliveira and Tsarukyan will fight at UFC 300 to determine the next challenger to Makhachev’s title. The event will take place on April 13, 2024.
Oliveira has opened as a slight underdog on the betting lines. However, the odds are subject to change.
Meanwhile, the champion is currently on the sidelines due to an injury.
