Charles Oliveira gives timeline for return, reveals future plans in absence of Conor McGregor
Charles Oliveira doesn't think Conor McGregor will fight in the near future. In an interview with The Mac Life, 'do Bronx' gave a timeline for his return and spoke of future plans in the absence of 'The Notorious.'
Oliveira last fought Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, where a supremely dominant Makhachev overwhelmed the Brazilian fighter on the feet, dropped him in the second round, and found an arm-triangle finish.
Makhachev essentially put the brakes on Charles Oliveira's 11-fight win streak and did so in spectacular fashion. After the UFC 280 loss, Oliveira is now eyeing a return for April or May. Here's what 'do Bronx' told The Mac Life about his return:
"April or May - I think that's the time that I need [to make my comeback]."
Skip to 1:11 to hear Charles Oliveira talk about his return:
With regards to Conor McGregor, 'do Bronx' said that he feels the Irishman is not fighting for a while:
"Well, Conor McGregor is not fighting, you know? So I think I need to focus on the top of the division, you know. After singing to Christ with the bells, it has given me some energy to be back. So, my focus is to fight in April and then [for] the title at the end of the year."
On being asked his thoughts on fighting Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira said that he needed to think with his mind and not his heart. What Oliveira might have meant is that he would rather do the fights that get him the most amount of money. However, he also said that if the UFC wanted him to fight Beneil Dariush next, he wouldn't object.
Would a win over Beneil Dariush propel Charles Oliveira to another title shot?
With Justin Gaethje booked to face Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 and the lightweight champion fighting Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, the only two likely opponents for 'do Bronx' are No.2-ranked Dustin Poirier and No.4-ranked Beneil Dariush. 'The Diamond' might not be a viable option since he just recovered from a horrific staph infection right around the holiday season.
The only person left is Beneil Dariush. A fight between Charles Oliveira and 'Benny' could spell title contention for both the Brazilian and Iranian-American fighters.
LA CARTE DU SIÈCLE 🤯
Selon plusieurs source Charles Oliveira devrait affronter Beneil Dariush à l’#UFC285 🤩✨ https://t.co/G0h1O8dq9G
Oliveira is in as unique a position as he could possibly fast-track his way to a title shot with a win over Dariush. The question is: how will that fight pan out?
Islam Makhachev provided the blueprint for defeating the new and improved version of Charles Oliveira, but that requires supreme-level grappling. Will Beneil Dariush's grappling be enough to overcome the man with the most submission victories in UFC history?
Dariush may not have the same grappling credentials as Oliveira or Makhachev, but he is competent in his scrambles and ability to create openings in grappling exchanges. He has a 50-50 chance of winning in the striking exchanges with 'do Bronx'. Hence it makes sense for him to try and keep the fight standing.