Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has talked up Conor McGregor’s chances of beating lightweight title holder Charles Oliveira, saying the Irishman “can still f***ing hit”.
McGregor broke his leg in a July loss to Dustin Poirier, who had knocked out “Notorious” six months prior, and a summer return to the Octagon is on the cards for the 33-year-old.
McGregor, despite his two-fight losing run, has expressed a desire to challenge lightweight champion Oliveira this year, though the Brazilian is scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in May.
Bisping has said McGregor could be the next challenger for the title, however, and suggested that Oliveira would be a more ideal opponent for the Irishman than Gaethje would.
“It’s wild, but if you ran the company, would you want that to happen?” the Mancunian said on The Joe Rogan Experience.
“You probably would, let’s be honest. The reality is Conor’s best days are long gone probably. You can’t stay at the top forever.
“[But] I’ll tell you this, if there’s a person that you’d put him against in the top five to beat, it would be Charles Oliveira. Charles is hittable and Conor can still f***ing hit. He’s fast and Charles is hittable.
‘I’m just saying, there’s a potential that Conor comes back, beats Charles Oliveira and becomes champion again. That is... I don’t think I can deal with the world if that happens – oh, my God. But it might happen. He’s still got that left hand, he’s still got power and speed.”
Prior to his defeats by Poirier in 2021, McGregor stopped Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout in January 2020. Before that fight, McGregor had not won since November 2016 – and that month still marks his last lightweight victory.
Many in the sport have questioned McGregor’s motivation since he acquired a great deal of wealth through his fighting and a whiskey venture, and Bisping is among them.
“You can say whatever you want and of course he’s gonna say that, and we all say it,” the former middleweight champion said. “‘I’m still the same guy, I’m still the same fighter.’ No, you f***ing ain’t. No, you’re not.
“Your motivation for doing this is gone. You’re doing it now because — and listen, you’ve got to respect this about him — he loves the fight game. I respect that about him, I really do. That’s the only thing that he can’t buy; the guy can buy whatever he wants and he’s buying yachts and this and that, and God bless him. But you can’t buy the UFC championship of the world.
“That’s the only thing you can’t buy, so he’s got no choice but to go and fight for it, and he’s still choosing to do that, so you have to respect that.”
