"That's a scumbag move" - Chael Sonnen on Charles Oliveira wanting to fight Conor McGregor instead of Justin Gaethje
Chael Sonnen has hit out at Charles Oliveira for considering taking a fight against Conor McGregor instead of Justin Gaethje.
At UFC 269, Charles Oliveira submitted Dustin Poirier to successfully retain the UFC lightweight title. One month prior, Justin Gaethje made a statement of his own with a thrilling decision win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268.
The stars appeared to be aligning for the two to meet for the UFC lightweight championship, but once again, Conor McGregor has come to the surface.
'The Notorious' is hungry for a shot at the UFC lightweight title. Based on his star power, it seems as if Oliveira is genuinely considering the match-up, despite the fact that the Irishman has lost his last two bouts inside the octagon.
Chael Sonnen had this to say on the matter on his YouTube channel:
“Oliveira is saying things as far as, and I don’t feel confident in this, but he went as far as to say ‘step aside Justin Gaethje, bring in Conor McGregor, I want the money fight’. This is what Oliveira is saying. I don’t know how much of that is tongue in cheek and how much of it is true. I don’t look at Charles Oliveira as some witty guy that would go out and manipulate the media even in the form of a troll, so I’m taking him at his word.”
“Now, that’s a scumbag move. It’s a scumbag move because nobody would give him an opportunity because he doesn’t move the needle. He’s never been the money fight, which is what held him back for so long. So now that he’s gotten up in the loft, if he pulls the ladder up behind him, I’m gonna look back at that and say ‘I don’t really like that’.”
Who else could Conor McGregor fight?
Even though Conor McGregor is coming off the back of consecutive losses to Dustin Poirier, many still believe a fourth fight between him and 'The Diamond' holds a lot of potential. After all, the bad blood hadn't settled down by the time their trilogy came to its controversial conclusion.
There's also a chance we could see Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler. The latter has indicated that he'd be interested in stepping in there with the former two-weight UFC champion, while McGregor will fancy his chances in a striking battle.
Also, there's the wild card of Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3, a contest that the UFC knows is always going to be there, so long as both guys want it.