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While Conor McGregor has not competed in mixed martial arts in nearly three years, he remains the biggest draw in the sport, by a significant margin. With the former double champ reportedly nearing his return to the octagon, Charles Oliveira's coach, Diego Lima, revealed that he would rather 'Do Bronx' face 'The Notorious' than lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, provided he defeats Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300.
Speaking to Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting, the Chute Boxe Academy coach Lima stated:
"I think there could be something different along the way. When we talk about McGregor, everybody is like, 'come on, Lima, stop talking about that, move on'. It would be great to fight McGregor. McGregor has made history. He was the highest-paid athlete in 2021. He beat [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, everybody in the NFL and NBA. What this guy has accomplished is gigantic. He just did a film and was the highest-paid first-time actor of all-time."
Lima continued:
"Look at the records he breaks. It's incredible what McGregor does. So, a fight with him would be incredible. Of course it would. Professionally speaking, it would be incredible. If we had the opportunity to fight McGregor at welterweight after this fight, we would fight McGregor. But how about the belt? Ok, we'll fight for the belt after that, God willing. But we know that with McGregor, the creature has become bigger than the creator."
Check out Diego Lima's comments on Charles Oliveira potentially facing Conor McGregor below:
Lima noted that McGregor has already considered taking a fight with Oliveira in the past as the two famously exchanged words last year. While 'The Notorious' has not competed since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021, he has hinted that he could face Michael Chandler at UFC 303, which takes place during International Fight Week in June.
Conor McGregor reveals he has no plans to retire anytime soon
While Conor McGregor's inactivity has spanned nearly three years, the former double champ recently revealed he does not plan to retire anytime soon. Speaking to Adam Catterall of TNT Sports, 'The Notorious' stated:
"In a box and going down into the ground, that's when I'll call it a day. Something that really struck me with Mike Tyson was he was asked in an interview around the Roy Jones Jr. fight, what do you think Cus D'Amato – who was his mentor and coach – what do you think Cus D'Amato would say to you after all these years. Why come back now? And what Tyson said was, what Cus would say to me is, 'What took you so long?' That really hit me." [h/t MMA Junkie]
Check out Conor McGregor's comments on his plans below (starting at the 6:38 mark):
McGregor noted that he has plenty of potential opponents to face. He has expressed an interest in fighting Michael Chandler at UFC 303 before facing Nate Diaz at UFC 306. While neither bout has been made official, if 'The Notorious' gets his way, it would mark his quickest turnaround since becoming double champ in 2016.
