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Charles Oliveira shocked the world once again when he submitted Justin Gaethje in the first round of their fight at UFC 274 but took it a step further by calling out Conor McGregor in his post-fight octagon interview.
After dropping 'The Highlight' and sinking in a rear naked choke, 'do Bronx' became the second person to call out Conor McGregor on the night, the first being Michael Chandler. Despite losing the lightweight belt on the scales due to missing the 155lb limit by half a pound, Oliveira is still considered the champion by many. Naturally, a fight between him and McGregor would be huge. The Brazilian called out the former champion and asked if he would show up or run away.
The Irishman, who is currently walking around at close to 190lbs, responded to Oliveira's callout by stating that he didn't wish to cut the weight. However, he did note that he would love to fight the Brazilian and has an unbeaten record against Brazilians. McGregor said in the now-deleted tweet:
"I’m not sure I wish to cut the weight. I am really enjoying being built like a refrigerator. I feel I want to fight at this size just to watch it back lol. But I’d love to fight the Brazilian, 100%! I love Brazil and I’m unbeaten against Brazil. All KO’s. I’ve some thinking to do."
In an interview with Canal Encarada, Charles Oliveira was asked what he made of Conor McGregor's reply, a clip of which was uploaded to the Face Off MMA YouTube channel. According to 'do Bronx', the Irishman's response indicated hesitation. He said:
"I think when we're on a losing streak, we should think a lot about who our next opponent will be, right? I think for some time now, he's been thinking a lot that I'm the division problem. That I'm a problem to fight him. And I think the answer has already been given, right? He ran, is in shock at what could happen." [Translation via Brazilian MMA Legends on YouTube]
Watch the clip below:
Watch the full interview in Portuguese below:
Michael Bisping explained why Charles Oliveira might be a winnable fight for Conor McGregor
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has had verbal feuds with Conor McGregor in the past, but 'The Count' gives credit where it's due. While he may not be the biggest fan of the Irishman as a person, he has always maintained a level of respect for what the former two-division UFC champion has accomplished.
Bisping is also quite unbiased in his analysis when comparing two fighters. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the Englishman explained why Charles Oliveira is a good matchup for Conor McGregor. Bisping highlighted that 'do Bronx' does tend to get hit in his fights due to his style, which could prove to be a costly mistake against someone as heavy-handed as McGregor.
Whether Conor McGregor vs. Charles Oliveira comes to fruition remains to be seen. The lightweight division is currently without a reigning champion, and Charles Oliveira will fight for the vacant belt in his next outing. Islam Makhachev has been staking his claim to be the other half of that matchup.
Watch Michael Bisping's video below:
