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Michael Bisping believes Charles Oliveira should be ranked among the top three best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
'Do Bronx' picked up a dominant first-round submission victory against Justin Gaethje at the recently concluded UFC 274 pay-per-view to further establish himself as the best lightweight in the UFC. He is currently ranked fourth in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Despite Oliveira not technically being champion anymore after failing to make weight for the fight against Gaethje, Bisping regards the Brazilian as the champion and the best fighter in the 155lbs division. 'The Count' has also rubbished the narrative that Oliveira is a quitter.
He explained that the 32-year-old's recent performances are proof of the fact that he can face as well as overcome adversity inside the octagon. During a recent Q&A on his YouTube channel, Bisping said:
"The way he keeps coming out of adversity makes me more of a fan. Charles is dangerous and now everyone can stop calling him a quitter. If anybody calls Charles Oliveira a quitter these days, they are out of their mind, okay? Even if he loses his next fight, even if he taps, the man is not a quitter... The man is one of the best, in fact he is the best. He's the champion and I think top three pound-for-pound on the planet."
Michael Bisping doesn't see Charles Oliveira vs. Conor McGregor fight coming to fruition anytime soon
Michael Bisping doesn't think a potential fight between Charles Oliveira and Conor McGregor will materialize anytime soon. Following his win over Gaethje, Oliveira challenged McGregor to fight him for the lightweight title next. According to Bisping, McGregor hasn't completely recovered from the leg injury he suffered last year and isn't likely to fight in 2022.
Bisping also pointed out that the Irishman is currently walking around at 185-190lbs and needs to cut a lot of weight in order to get back into a lightweight frame.
"Conor's not fighting this year... You want to have people, names like Conor McGregor, of course, he's the biggest star in the goddamn sport but he's still recovering from a broken leg and he's still walking around at about 185-90 pounds. He's gonna have to get in shape, he's gonna have to lose some muscle."
Watch Michael Bisping discuss Charles Oliveira's recent win, Conor McGregor's return and more below:
