Charles Oliveira has weighed in on Conor McGregor’s decision to face Max Holloway at UFC 329, and he’s convinced the matchup should have been his.
Oliveira, the reigning BMF titleholder after a dominant five-round decision over Holloway in March, expected to be next in line for McGregor. Instead, McGregor will headline the next numbered UFC event on July 11 against Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
"You and everyone else know that fight was supposed to be mine, but he chose Max because he thinks he can beat Max. The truth is, he ran from me," Oliveira said. He added, "It was never officially offered [to me], but everyone knew that whoever won between Max and I would fight him. In reality, he picked Max because he thought it was the easier path."
Looking ahead to the bout between "The Notorious" and "Blessed," Oliveira sees danger early and momentum shifting late. "It’s a complicated fight because he hasn’t been in the cage for a long time," Oliveira said of McGregor, who has not fought since fracturing his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 and went 0-2 against Poirier that year.
"How many years has he been out now? It’s been a long time, five years without fighting. But he’s Conor. If you make a mistake and he lands, he will knock you out," Oliveira said. "I think the first and second rounds favor [McGregor] a lot. After that, things swing much more in Max’s favor. Conor has a great chance of getting the knockout early if he can impose his game. But once you get past those rounds, Max definitely has a much better chance of winning."
For his own future, Oliveira wants Justin Gaethje next to unify the UFC and BMF belts.
