MMA News: Conor McGregor Has 'Potential' To Beat Charles Oliveira According To UFC Legend

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping thinks Conor McGregor has a shot at defeating Charles Oliveira should the two ever meet sometime this year.

In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Bisping gave his take on the potential matchup.

“Charles [Oliveira] is hittable and Conor [McGregor] can still [expletive] 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,” he shared.

It has been nearly six years since “The Notorious” last won a title in mixed martial arts (MMA), that being the UFC lightweight title that he took off Eddie Alvarez in spectacular fashion.

Following the title win, MMA fans would not see McGregor in the Octagon for two years as he chased a super-fight with boxing star Floyd Mayweather before challenging Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in 2018.

McGregor again went on a hiatus following his loss to Nurmagomedov and has had three fights in the past two years–a victory over Donald Cerrone and two heartbreaking losses to Dustin Poirier in 2021.

According to Bisping, the 33-year-old’s desire to still compete in MMA despite reaching great heights is a testament to his love for the sport.

“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 [expletive] ain’t,” the UFC Hall of Famer said. “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.”

McGregor’s fight style has always relied on quick feet and precise strikes, but his decline in recent years has been a major point of debate among MMA afficionados regarding how good the Irishman truly was.

However, one cannot discount the fact that he knocked out a previously unbeatable Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds and lit up Alvarez to become the UFC’s first double champion.

Oliveira has previously expressed interest in facing McGregor, and that fight may just come to fruition very soon.

Before “Do Bronx” gets his dream fight with McGregor, he will need to defend his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7.

Meanwhile, McGregor is still recovering from his injured leg that he sustained from his third meeting against Poirier.