Charles Oliveira hopes for title shot or McGregor fight after injury

Charles Oliveira, the UFC lightweight contender, had to withdraw from his title fight against Islam Makhachev on Saturday in Abu Dhabi due to a cut injury. He told MMA Fighting on Thursday that he still wants to fight for the belt in 2024, or face Conor McGregor in a big-money bout.

Oliveira said he got a cut over his right eye when he slipped and hit his head with his sparring partner at Chute Boxe. He said it was a “deep” wound that required 10 to 15 days of rest and an MRI scan to check for any complications.

“Destiny wanted us out of this fight,” Oliveira said. “It’s upsetting. I wasn’t happy and still am not happy, but I’m a man that believes in God, and I’m sure that God has something greater for me.” “[The doctor said], ‘You need 10 to 15 days [after the cut] away to be able to heal. Let’s also do a MRI to see if there’s any blood clot in your head, or anything like that, because it was a deep cut,’ and you start to get the real picture,” Oliveira said.

“You realize your dream to become champion right now is more distant, you won’t be able to fight now. You cry, you get sad, you want to be with people that really love you.”

Oliveira said his managers, Diego Lima and Jorge Patino, would talk to the UFC about his future after Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2, which is the new main event for Saturday. He said he had two options in mind: A title shot or a fight with Conor McGregor, the former two-division champion and one of the biggest stars in MMA.