Dana White has immediately poured cold water on the prospect of Conor McGregor fighting UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira.
Oliveira defeated Dustin Poirier via a third-round submission to retain his title, with McGregor, predictably, taking to Twitter in the aftermath of the fight to throw his name into the hat of potential opponents for the Brazilian.
So what date am I fighting Oliveira?
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 13, 2021
McGregor has made a habit of repeatedly calling out current UFC champions, despite the fact that he should be some way back in the queue when it comes to getting a title shot, upon his return to the octagon.
The Irishman was not even able to defeat Poirier in either of his last two meetings with the fighter, so why would the UFC think that a version of McGregor, with ring rust, who has lost three of his last four fights, would stand a chance against Oliveira?
Dana White does not appear keen on that fight materialising and has swiftly moved to consider who will next get an opportunity at Oliveira’s belts – without McGregor being in the picture.
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As is reported by the Daily Star, White was quizzed by reporters as to whether Justin Gaethje was the man we could see fighting Oliveira, to which he replied: “Yeah, it makes sense.”
As much as it’s often difficult to reason with Conor, he does need to recognise that the UFC is a meritocratic organisation and his PPV potential alone is not going to get him back in the title picture immediately.
We would like to think that McGregor is two or three wins away from being in that conversation. If he were to return on top form and prove that he is still the fighter he once was, then his chance will come.
