Conor McGregor has once again been called out by top lightweights Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler as he ramps up his workouts for a UFC comeback.
The Irishman is pushing to get back into the cage later this year or early in 2023, after gruesomely breaking his leg during the first round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last July. And despite being out of action for what will have been well over a year by the time he gets back, McGregor has remained a name discussed by top fighters for the past 12 months.
And both Chandler and Oliveira, who is the lightweight champion in all but name after being stripped for missing weight in May, have been angling for fights with McGregor. Chandler used his post-fight interview after beating Tony Ferguson to call for the fight while Oliveira continues to offer up the belt for a super-fight with the Irishman.
Asked by MMAJunkie who he would choose to fight in his next title bout, Oliveira said: “If I must choose, it’d be Conor McGregor, as the guy who is putting the money in my bank account. If I’m going to choose, I’m going to choose Conor McGregor.”
And Chandler made similar comments in a recent social media video. McGregor has insisted that he will be moving up to welterweight for his return, which doesn't concern the former Bellator champion.
"I do believe that Conor McGregor has to come back and fight somebody," he told SportBible. "So why shouldn't it be the other most exciting, most electrifying guy not just in the lightweight division, but on the UFC roster. And like I said, I want to do it at 170lb.
"I want him at his biggest, his baddest, his best and his most dangerous. Come get you some, holler at me this winter or early next year, holler at me!"
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Oliveira, for his part, will have to stay at 155lb where he will look to officially reclaim the lightweight title in his next outing. He beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in May, but had missed weight by half-a-pound and was stripped, meaning the title was only on the line for the American.
And he would be willing to allow McGregor to skip the other 10 contenders ahead of him in the rankings, which would likely frustrate the division. Islam Makhachev has been pushing for a title fight for years, as has Beneil Dariush, both on major win streaks as opposed to McGregor's 1-3 since 2016.
“The story with Conor has always been like that,” Oliveira explained. “It was the same thing with Dustin Poirier. He always cuts the line and everyone knows that when Conor is on. He cuts the line.
"I think I deserve to choose and I’m choosing Conor because of everything I’ve done to make some money for my family and for everything. If I’m going to choose, I’m choosing Conor."
