"It means you’re unemployed" - UFC legend thinks Charles Oliveira is dodging Islam Makhachev, so he's opting for Conor McGregor fight
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has not defended his title against an established lightweight contender ever since he won it against Charles Oliveira back at UFC 280.
Makhachev was scheduled to take on Oliveira in a rematch at UFC 294 but a last-minute withdrawal from the Brazilian saw him take on Volkanovski yet again. Former UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen discussed the situation in an episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier.
Sonnen defended Makhachev's stance and outlined the situation in the lightweight division. He said:
"I think that Islam, who has done everything that's ever been asked of him, went into that fight with Volk then went and did it again on eight days notice – when he only says I would like some parity, that’s it. I would just like to fight guys that I haven't fought before. I think that it matters. And hey, Dana White isn't going to have an easy job here. Oliveira has made it very clear he does not want to fight Islam, he made it clear before they fight in October, a paper cut scrapped that one."
Sonnen then delved into Oliveira and his manager's recent statements about wanting to take on the returning Conor McGregor. He expressed his confusion at Oliveira's desire to take on McGregor instead of a rematch against Makhachev for the undisputed lightweight title, saying:
"If you’re sitting around waiting for Conor McGregor it means that you're unemployed. But if you go ask for Conor, when somebody else is trying to give you a world title fight, we can't force you into something you don't wanna do."
Check out Chael Sonnen's full comments on Islam Makhachev below:
Arman Tsarukyan vows to finish Charles Oliveira at UFC 300
Charles Oliveira will be in action on the milestone UFC 300 main card against the No.4 ranked Arman Tsarukyan.
The bout is billed as a potential lightweight title eliminator for the next title shot against Islam Makhachev. The red-hot Tsarukyan has only a single loss in his nine fights and will look to continue in the same vein of form against his Brazilian opponent.
In an interview on The MMA Hour, Tsarukyan predicted a first round finish at UFC 300. He said:
"We are both complete MMA fighters. But my prediction is a finish in the first round, TKO. Done."
Arman Tsarukyan is confident that a positive result at UFC 300 will land him a title shot against Islam Makhachev.
Check out Arman Tsarukyan's comments on Islam Makhachev below (1:13:47):