UFC: Conor McGregor could fight Charles Oliveira next, says Michael Bisping – ‘people pay to see him, simple as that’
- UFC commentator feels ‘The Notorious’ could jump queue for a lightweight title shot
- Champ Oliveira has ‘got to fight McGregor to get those mega paydays’, Bisping adds
UFC commentator Michael Bisping believes the next crack at reigning lightweight champion Charles Oliveira could go to former two-division title-holder Conor McGregor.
In Bisping’s eyes, “The Notorious” might just get his wish.
“Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the sport,” Bisping, the former UFC middleweight champion, said during a Q&A on his YouTube channel. “After all the adversity that he’s been through lately, after the leg break the he had, if he can come back and beat Charles Oliveira and become the champion again, what a story that would be.
“The UFC might want to do that as well because people pay to see Conor McGregor. Simple as that. You cannot deny that fact.”
If McGregor is granted a fight with Oliveira, it will not go over well with streaking lightweight contenders Beneil Dariush (21-1-4) and Islam Makhachev (21-1), who will fight on February 26 with a title shot seemingly hanging in the balance.
Justin Gaethje (23-3), who cemented himself as the No 1-ranked lightweight contender with a decision win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268 in November, has also made it clear that he is not on board with McGregor getting a title shot.
Bisping conceded that all three fighters are deserving of the opportunity to fight Oliveira.
“I think the person that wins [Dariush or Makhachev] definitely deserves a title shot. But then we’ve got Justin Gaethje, he’s waiting in the wings,” the Englishman said.
“[Gaethje] says he will literally riot if Conor McGregor comes back and fights for the belt straight away.”
Unfortunately for those men, Bisping said he felt it is definitely in Oliveira’s best interest to pursue a fight with McGregor – at least from a fiscal vantage point.
“Guess what, the champion, Charles Oliveira has said he has invited Conor McGregor to come down, fight him in May in Brazil,” he said. “If you’re Charles Oliveira, you want that. You’ve got to do that.
“For Charles Oliveira, a guy that comes from the favelas in Brazil, a guy that knows about hardship and adversity and poverty, to fight Conor McGregor and get those mega paydays, I’d be so happy for him.”
