Charles Oliveira knows exactly who he wants for his next time out – Conor McGregor.

The most recent UFC lightweight champion remains the top dog at 155-pounds despite not holding the title at present. Ahead of his last bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in May, Oliveira made history as the first champion in promotional history to miss weight, resulting in his stripping of the title.

Regardless of scale troubles, “Do Bronx” looked arguably better than ever, slugging it out with Gaethje as soon as the fight began. Ultimately, “The Highlight” suffered the same fate as most before him, succumbing to a first-round rear-naked choke submission.

Oliveira has been referred to as the “king without his crown”. He is likely to challenge for the title of vacant champion when he returns into the Octagon. It’s only a matter who he faces. There’s one correct choice if the UFC champion has his way.

“[Conor McGregor] would be a very good fight for me,” Oliveira told ESPN. “It would put a lot of money in my pocket, and [at this moment] that’s the most important thing. And it would also be really good for my legacy, for me to have in my story. Regardless, if he’s coming from defeat or not, he’s a guy who’s made history, so I think it would be great, but it’s not just up to me. This fight could have been happening if it weren’t for me.

” I have a girl to raise. Conor is a man everyone wants to defeat, and it’s not only me. Fighting Conor can be very lucrative, everyone knows this. Money is what I am referring to. And Conor knows that, that everyone wants to fight him.”

For “The Notorious” McGregor, he’s struggled in his most recent appearances against rival, Dustin Poirier. Scoring a first-round knockout in Sept. 2014, McGregor found himself unable to replicate those same results seven years later in their rematch. Poirier bested the Irishman with a second-round knockout against the cage before earning a TKO in the trilogy after McGregor sustained a broken leg. Still on the road to recovery, it’s unsure exactly when McGregor will return but all signs point to him potentially being ready before 2023.

Most people agree with the choice of the No. 4 ranked contender in the official UFC rankings, Islam Makhachev, should be next to compete for the title. Like Oliveira, Makhachev is also on a 10-plus winning streak.

Fortunately for Oliveira’s desires and the UFC President Dana White, it seems that he is more concerned with rebooking Makhachev against Beneil Dariush rather than giving the fearsome Russian his chance at gold.

“I’ve never ran from a fight and the lightweight champion is called Charles Oliveira,” Oliveira said. Is Islam really a tough man? Yep. Did he fight big names? No. He’s on a big streak, but who did he fight?”

TOP STORIES

Smesh. Khamzat Chimiev wants Nate Diaz to fight him: “I’ll smash this boy, he will’t be that Diaz anymore .”

Three-Piece. Leon Edwards slams Jorge Masvidal as a “little rat”, and wants to protect his title in London.

Rowdy. Ronda Rousey names Gina Carano as the one opponent she’d return to MMA to fight.

Odds. Kamaru Usman set as heavy betting favorite over Leon Edwards ahead of UFC 278 rematch.

Next? Jiri Prochazka: “Aggressive” Jan Blachowicz “tried to flex” cageside at UFC 275.

Contention. Jorge Guimaraes, Manager, announces that Alex Pereira will face Sean Strickland for the UFC title. Shares update: Pitbull brothers, Machida and more.