Although many fans would be against it, UFC great Daniel Cormier would not be shocked if the promotion booked McGregor vs Oliveira for the lightweight title in 2022.
There is no denying the influence that Conor McGregor (22-6) has had on the sport of MMA. He is the industry’s biggest box office draw and its most recognized mainstream star. When “Notorious” competes in the Octagon, it’s a sports happening and a financial winfall for the UFC every time.
That status as the sport’s biggest money-maker — as well as a former two-division champion — puts McGregor in a separate category from all other fighters and leads to ideas that in normal circumstances would seem nonsensical. Like the notion of him receiving a title fight against reigning lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (32-8) this year, despite suffering back-to-back technical knockout losses in 2021.
Daniel Cormier would not be shocked by the UFC booking McGregor vs Oliveira later this year
The conversation about a McGregor vs Oliveira matchup heated up when the Irishman called for a fight with the champ following his title defense win over Dustin Poirier last month. And the booking has only picked up more steam when the Brazilian publicly admitted turning down a massive money-making opportunity against McGregor would be foolish.
Money will always be the ultimate motivation in the fight game, and although it would not be fair for the division, and deserving contenders like Justin Gaethje, former two-division champion, and current ESPN analyst Cormier says a McGregor vs Oliveira fight later this year is not an impossibility.
“Honestly, I really do believe that there are different rules in regards to Conor,” Cormier said in a Tuesday conversation with MMA journalist “>The Schmo. “And people might not like it, people may hate it, but if he is healthy and he starts to chirp, Oliveira’s chirping back at him, and if there’s fan interest, I can see a world where it happens [this summer]. It would make so many people upset, but ultimately it comes down to dollars and cents.”
McGregor is in the midst of a career-low point. He’s lost three of his last four in the Octagon and hasn’t won consecutive fights since 2016. However, his two losses in 2021 were the biggest money-making events of the year for the UFC. So despite his lack of activity and defeats in recent years, McGregor’s star power has suffered little in the eyes of his supporters.
Oliveira has won 10 straight fights en route to establishing himself as the best lightweight fighter on the planet. A booking between him and the former 155-pound champion seems ridiculous at the moment, but in an entertainment-driven industry like fight sports, it makes all the sense in the world.
Do you agree with Cormier, and McGregor vs Oliveira is far from impossible in 2022?
