Former UFC welterweight champ and current commentator Michael Bisping doesn’t just think Conor McGregor will fight for the lightweight title again. He believes that the sitting champion, Charles Oliveira, is McGregor’s best chance at reclaiming UFC gold.
Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience, Bisping outlined the case for a McGregor title shot stressing that he himself does not want it to happen, but he sees it as plausible.
Bisping: McGregor Could Still Knock Oliveira Out
“The reality is, Conor’s best days are long gone, probably. You can’t stay at the top forever. I’ll tell you this, if there’s a person that you’d put him against in the top-5 to beat, it would be Charles Oliveira.
Charles is hittable and Conor can still f***ing hit. He’s fast and Charles is hittable. I’m just saying, there’s a potential that Conor comes back, beats Charles Oliveira and becomes champion again. That is… I don’t think I can deal with the world if that happens. Oh my god. But it might happen. He’s still got that left hand, he’s still got power and speed.”
It’s been six long years since Conor McGregor’s last – and, to date, only – victory at lightweight. Since then, he has won only one fight in four, at 170 pounds against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Conor himself has long campaigned for another title shot, and Charles Oliveira seems open to the idea.
McGregor, for the time being, is still nursing the broken leg he sustained losing to Dustin Poirier last July. McGregor hopes to return to action for summer or fall, and assuming Oliveira defends his title against Justin Gaethe in the coming months, Conor may well return to fight for the title at the time.
As much as Conor insists he’s better than ever, Michael Bisping has his doubts. “That’s it though, it changes.
You can say whatever you want and of course he’s gonna say that, and we all say it. ‘I’m still the same guy, I’m still the same fighter.’ No you f***ing ain’t. No you’re not. Your motivation for doing this is gone. You’re doing it now because — and listen, you’ve got to respect this about him — he loves the fight game.
I respect that about him, I really do. That’s the only thing that he can’t buy. The guy can buy whatever he wants and he’s buying yachts and this and that, and God bless him. But you can’t buy the UFC championship of the world. That’s the only thing you can’t buy so he’s got no choice but to go and fight for it, and he’s still choosing to do that so you have to respect that.”
Can Conor McGregor reclaim UFC gold? Let us know in the comments.
