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Islam Makhachev didn’t take kindly to Charles Oliveira’s statement that he needs to beat another ranked opponent after Beneil Dariush to earn a title shot. The Dagestani fighter took to Twitter to remind everybody that the UFC lightweight champion was willing to fight Conor McGregor, who hasn’t won a fight since 2015, instead of a fighter riding a ten-fight winning streak.
Islam Makhachev posted the following tweet:
"So Oliveira says I’m not deserved fight for a title, indeed he’s begging for a fight with Conor who hasn’t win a fight since 2015 lol"
During his recent interview with the Brazilian channel Ag. Fight, ‘do Bronx’ spoke on various topics, including Makhachev’s status in the title picture. A clip from the interview was posted on YouTube by the Brazilian MMA Legends channel, where Olivera said that he thinks that Makhachev needs to face a top-five ranked fighter to get a title shot.
In the champion’s opinion, the Dagestani stacked up a ten-fight winning streak without defeating ranked or top competitors:
"He's been asking a lot for this title fight, but I think that, you know, I think he needs to face a guy who is at the top, a top 5, right? To be able to have a title shot. That's 10 wins in a row, but he's never fought ranked or top guys. So for sure he needs to do one or two more fights so we can make it happen." [Translation via Brazilian MMA Legends]
On the other hand, ‘Do Bronx’ was willing to fight Conor McGregor one week after his UFC 269 win. This didn’t sit well with Makhachev, who thinks he deserves the title opportunity more than the Irishman.
Watch Charles Oliveira talk about Makhachev’s chances for a title shot below:
Charles Oliveira gave Conor McGregor his respect after the Irishman’s UFC 264 defeat
Charles Oliveira and Conor McGregor have previously had some exchanges on social media. However, after what happened at UFC 264 with ‘Notorious’ injuring his leg, ‘Do Bronx’ admitted that he has great respect for the Irish fighter.
During an interview with Super Lutas, Charles Oliveira stated that despite not being a fan of McGregor’s antics, he has great respect for the former champion for his contributions to MMA and the UFC.
"Conor deserves a standing ovation... I don't like the way he sells the fight, the way he talks. But as an athlete, he's a giant guy. The guy moves millions of people and earns millions of dollars – to win or lose. He's a guy who puts money in a lot of people's pockets. Everyone wants to fight him because he knows he's going to make money."
It's worth pointing out that Conor McGregor is campaigning for a welterweight title fight against Kamaru Usman. However, a potential matchup between the former lightweight champion and the current 170lb titleholder could be interesting for fans and lucrative for both fighters.
