Historically, the UFC’s lightweight division has been one of the most talent-stacked divisions with plenty of top fighters in the mix. This remains the case even today as the champion, Islam Mackhachev, has several legitimate contenders to choose from. However, according to Dana White, the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 will be next in line for the title shot.
Surprisingly, even if Charles Oliveira does eke out a win this weekend, he is not interested in a shot at the title and would prefer to fight Conor McGregor. In light of such comments, Chael Sonnen recently gave his own two cents on the situation. In the latest episode of ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy’ on ESPN MMA, Sonnen blasted Oliveira for having unrealistic expectations, saying,
“You wanna talk about real honest? Oliveira has made it very clear he does not want to fight Islam. He made it clear before they fought in October of which a paper cut scrapped that one. And Oliveira and his manager all within the last seven days have both given separate interviews saying if they win the fight, they want Conor McGregor. If you’re sitting around waiting for Conor McGregor it means you’re unemployed.”
In addition to this, Sonnen called Oliveira out for dodging a rematch with Islam Makhachev in October last year. However, he eventually acknowledged that if Oliveira does not want to fight for the title, the UFC cannot force him to do so.
Hence, the UFC veteran will instead root for Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje to get a title shot. Even though, such an opportunity is entirely dependent on Gaethje winning at UFC 300.
What did Charles Oliveira say about a money fight with Conor McGregor?
In a recent interview, Oliveira was asked if he would prefer a fight with Conor McGregor over a rematch with Islam Makhachev for the title. Defying all expectations, The former champion stated that he would pick a fight with McGregor as it would set him up for life, financially.
Interestingly, the 34-year-old substantiated his decision using the example of Dustin Poirier. ‘Do Bronx’ stated that Poirier could have fought for the title after his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257. However, he chose to wait and give Conor McGregor a rematch.
In doing so, Poirier earned a massive payday not once but twice. Moreover, to make things even better he ended up fighting for the title anyway after beating McGregor. This is something that Oliveira wants to emulate.
