Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was looking to avenge his loss to Islam Makhachev and reclaim the 155-pound crown. Unfortunately, a nasty cut suffered in training camp booted “Do Bronx” from the UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which now features the rematch between Makhachev and current featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski.
Whether or not a fully-healed Oliveira can pick up where he left off remains to be seen, but Makhachev and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, both want the Brazilian to earn his way back to the title by fighting longtime lightweight veteran Justin Gaethje, who was already submitted by “Do Bronx” when they first went to war in the UFC 274 headliner back in early 2022.
“Why does [Abdelaziz] want that? He manages both,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “How have I missed my shot? I’m the No. 1. I’ve beat everybody else below me. Who’s next in line? I am. Do I have to wait a month or two, or three, or six? I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it. Leave that to [my team] to clash heads [with the UFC] and make it happen. I just want to rest, breathe, and wait for my moment to make things happen. It’s not that it doesn’t make sense [to fight somebody else] — I’m a UFC employee. Whoever they say, we’ll make it happen. But I’m the No. 1 contender, and I beat everybody else below me.”
Oliveira, 34, is currently ranked No. 1 at 155 pounds and has not only beaten, but finished the rest of the fighters in the division Top 5. It’s hard to make a case against “Do Bronx” getting the next title shot, but it sounds like the Brazilian would gladly step aside for the chance to battle former two-division titleholder Conor McGregor, who is expected to make his Octagon return at some point in early-to-mid 2024.
“The Conor fight is a fight I’ve been asking for a long time. And I never lied, I was the only one being real about fighting Conor,” Oliveira continued. “Charles Oliveira against Conor McGregor, money fight. It’s a fight that will give us a lot of money. Conor sells, Charles also sells. It’s a fight that everybody wants. The only one we don’t know if [he] wants this fight is Conor because I’ve said it a thousand times — 170, 185, 155, I don’t know, choose the weight. Say where and I’ll be there. Just send the contract and we’ll sign it. That’s the fight. Title fight? I’m waiting. UFC makes the call. I deserve it. I’m waiting right here, next to the people that really love me. I’m waiting for my moment.”
The decision could depend on what happens in the UFC 294 main event.
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