Charles Oliveira believes Conor McGregor knows he will be beaten if the pair cross paths in the octagon.
Oliveira called out McGregor after he submitted Justin Gaethje in the first round at UFC 274 earlier this month. The Brazilian's 155lb title became vacant despite Oliveira's win after he failed to make weight before the fight.
UFC boss Dana White has confirmed that Oliveira will challenge for the vacant title in his next fight and 'Do Bronx' wants McGregor to be his dance partner for the clash. However, Oliveira thinks that McGregor has known for "some time" that a fight against him is not a good idea.
"I think when we're on a losing streak, we should think a lot about who our next opponent will be. I think for some time now, he's been thinking a lot that I'm the division problem. That I'm a problem to fight him. I think the answer has already been given. He ran, is in shock at what could happen," he told Canal Encarada about the potential fight.
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Whilst replying to his call out, McGregor admitted that he would love to fight 'Do Bronx' but is unlikely to do so because of the weight cut to reach the lightweight limit. "I am really enjoying being built like a refrigerator," he wrote.
"I feel I want to fight at this size just to watch it back lol. But I’d love to fight the Brazilian, 100 per cent! I love Brazil and I’m unbeaten against Brazil. All KO’s. I’ve some thinking to do."
McGregor has not fought since he was stopped by Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight last summer. The former two-weight champion has been recovering from the broken tibia he suffered at the end of the first round and only started sparring again last month ahead of his comeback fight.
Oliveira's call out of McGregor has been criticised by his lightweight peers, with Beneil Dariush labelling him a " hypocrite " and Islam Makhachev accusing the Brazilian of " ducking " him. Makhachev and Dariush's scheduled fight in February was cancelled and Oliveira thinks the pair need to face each other to decide the challenger for the vacant title.
“I think the reality is, Makhachev has to fight Dariush first,” Oliveira told Trocacao Franca. “They both have to fight and then we’ll see who we’re fighting or not. Makhachev is super tough and deserves all the respect in the world. Dariush is also super tough and has a great team."
