UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has said that he wouldn’t think twice about defending his title against Conor McGregor next.
Oliveira made his first successful title defence at UFC 269, where he finished Dustin Poirier in the third round by submission. Most fans believe the Brazilian should defend his title against Justin Gaethje next, but McGregor believes he should fight for the belt upon his return next summer.
Potential McGregor Fight
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Oliveira said that he wouldn’t turn down a potential fight against McGregor.
“If I had the chance [in the past] to fight for the belt or fight Conor, everybody knows I’d fight for the belt,” Oliveira said. “That already happened, I’m the champion now. The champion has a name and his name is Charles Oliveira, Charles ‘Do Bronx.’ If I had the chance to fight Conor for money today, I would. The belt is mine and continues being mine. We’ll continue building our legacy and making history.”
‘I’ll Fight Anyone’
Oliveira isn’t obsessed with the idea of fighting McGregor however, as he said that he will defend his throne against anybody the UFC put in front of him.
“That happened to me,” Oliveira said. “I was the number seven in the rankings and wanted to fight [top contenders] and they didn’t want to. The champion has a name now, we’re part of the same organisation, and I’ll fight whoever the UFC puts against me. If they say it’s Conor, I’ll fight him. If they say it’s Justin, I’ll fight him. I just want to go home now and get some rest with my daughter and go back to the cage as soon as possible.”
McGregor is coming off back-to-back defeats at the hands of Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 and UFC 264, while Gaethje returned to winning ways with a win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268.
What do you make of Charles Oliveira’s comments?
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