Champion Oliveira spoke about a possible fight with McGregor. Why would he give him a chance?

Charles Oliveira successfully defended his title for the first time at the weekend and now it remains to be seen who will challenge him next. As expected, it was supposed to be Justin Gaethje, but it’s Conor McGregor who’s asking for his chance. Many took it as a joke, but not the Brazilian champion. What did he say about the fight with McGregor?

Dustin Poirier was a slight favorite in the title fight, but champion Charles Oliveira didn’t give the American fighter a proper chance. He forced him to tap out in the third round, making his first defence a great one.

No sooner was the fight over than there was talk of his next opponent. It was widely expected that it would be Justin Gaethje, who also visited the tournament to see his upcoming opponent up close and personal. He may well be out of luck.

That’s because Conor McGregor stepped up to the plate, asking on Twitter when he would be able to face Oliveira. The reactions were rather derisive, and various statistics began to emerge. The most telling was that Oliveira has won 10 fights since 2018, while the Irishman has only won 1.

What did the champion say? “If I had the chance to fight Conor for the belt in the past, everyone knows I would have gone for it. But now I’m the champion. And if I had the chance to fight him for money, I would do it too. The belt is and will continue to be mine. I will continue to build my legacy and continue to make history,” he expressed on the MMA Hour.

Oliveira admitted that he would be a fool not to want to make money by fighting McGregor, which is a guarantee of financial earnings. “We have to think about our families, our kids. At a time like this, developments in the division simply have to wait,” he added.

Besides, the Brazilian reminisced about the time when he was a seven-weight lightweight and no one from the top wanted to fight him, but he challenged the fighters above him. He doesn’t want to be like that. He’ll supposedly fight anyone the UFC puts in front of him. If it’s McGregor, he’ll fight him, if it’s Gaethje, he’ll take it anyway.

For now, though, he has one wish. He wants to rest at home with his daughter so he can get back in the cage as soon as possible.

Source: UFC, MMA Fighting