Charles Oliveira’s coach explains why he prefers Conor McGregor over Islam Makhachev for ‘Do Bronx’s’ next bout

Despite being absent from the mixed martial arts scene for almost three years, Conor McGregor still holds the title of being the most popular fighter in the sport, with a considerable lead. According to reports, the former two-division champion is close to making his comeback to the octagon. In light of this news, Diego Lima, coach of Charles Oliveira, expressed his preference for ‘Do Bronx’ to face ‘The Notorious’ instead of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, if Oliveira emerges victorious against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300.

In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, the coach of Chute Boxe Academy, Lima, expressed:

“I think there could be something different along the way. When we talk about McGregor, everybody is like, ‘come on, Lima, stop talking about that, move on’. It would be great to fight McGregor. McGregor has made history. He was the highest-paid athlete in 2021. He beat [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, everybody in the NFL and NBA. What this guy has accomplished is gigantic. He just did a film and was the highest-paid first-time actor of all-time.”

Lima stated the following words as she continued speaking:

“Look at the records he breaks. It’s incredible what McGregor does. So, a fight with him would be incredible. Of course it would. Professionally speaking, it would be incredible. If we had the opportunity to fight McGregor at welterweight after this fight, we would fight McGregor. But how about the belt? Ok, we’ll fight for the belt after that, God willing. But we know that with McGregor, the creature has become bigger than the creator.”

Peruse Diego Lima’s remarks on the possibility of Charles Oliveira facing Conor McGregor in the text below:

Lima pointed out that McGregor had previously expressed interest in fighting Oliveira, with the two engaging in a heated exchange last year. Despite his absence from the octagon since fracturing his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021, ‘The Notorious’ has recently alluded to a potential matchup against Michael Chandler at UFC 303, which falls during International Fight Week in June.

Conor McGregor Confirms Long-Term Fighting Career, Denies Retirement Rumors

Despite being inactive for almost three years, Conor McGregor has no plans of retiring anytime soon according to the former double champ himself. In a conversation with Adam Catterall of TNT Sports, ‘The Notorious’ shared:

“In a box and going down into the ground, that’s when I’ll call it a day. Something that really struck me with Mike Tyson was he was asked in an interview around the Roy Jones Jr. fight, what do you think Cus D’Amato – who was his mentor and coach – what do you think Cus D’Amato would say to you after all these years. Why come back now? And what Tyson said was, what Cus would say to me is, ‘What took you so long?’ That really hit me.”[h/t MMA Junkie]

At the 6:38 mark, be sure to listen to Conor McGregor’s remarks about his future plans below.

McGregor acknowledged that there are numerous potential opponents for him to compete against. He has shown a desire to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303 before going up against Nate Diaz at UFC 306. Although no official arrangements have been made for either fight, if ‘The Notorious’ has his say, it would be his fastest return to the octagon since becoming a two-division champion in 2016.