Former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor is barely holding on to his spot in the division Top 10 and considering “Notorious” is just 1-3 at lightweight and got finished in all three losses, he probably shouldn’t be ranked in the Top 10 to begin with.
But McGregor remains the biggest draw in MMA.
That’s why former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira wants to reclaim the crown he lost on the scale by smashing the power-punching Irishman. Not only would it line his pockets, it would also help pad his already impressive resume in the 155-pound division.
“It would be a very good fight for me,” Oliveira told ESPN. “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.”
That might be a tough sell for the rest of the lightweight division, particularly No. 4 ranked Islam Makhachev. The Dagestani grappler is 22-1 and the winner of 10 straight. He also finished his last four opponents by way of knockout or submission.
Oliveira remains unimpressed.
“Is Islam a very tough guy? Yep. Did he fight big names? No. He’s on a big streak, but who did he fight? I don’t care about his fighting style,” the Brazilian continued. “What he does best, I do 10 times more. If he thinks that putting down everyone [on the ground] he [fought] is the same thing as [fighting] Charles Oliveira, he is completely wrong.”
We may never find out if this recent callout comes to pass.