Charles Oliveira has admitted that he would’ve preferred to fight Conor McGregor as opposed to Islam Makhachev in his next bout.

At UFC 280 later this year, Charles Oliveira will contend for the UFC lightweight championship as he attempts to regain what he lost on the scales prior to UFC 274 in Arizona. His opponent on that night in Abu Dhabi will be Islam Makhachev, a man who has been waiting for a long time to get his hands on the gold.

Of course, there was another man in the mix for a crack at Charles and the belt, and his name is Conor McGregor.

The Irishman is the biggest money fight in mixed martial arts and potentially all of combat sports, with ‘Do Bronx’ previously making it crystal clear that he’s interested in the idea of fighting him.

Now, in a recent interview, Oliveira has reiterated that he preferred the idea of taking on McGregor instead of Makhachev.

“I didn’t want this fight. Everyone knows it,” Oliveira said. “I wanted the big payment from the other fight. However, everyone knows that I’m a UFC employee. You can’t escape that. So we tried to negotiate from every angle. I tried NY because it was a neutral ground. But the fight was decided there [Abu Dhabi]. But to be honest the cage is the same anywhere in the world.”

Quotes via MMA with Subtitles

McGregor has yet to announce his return to the Octagon and given how much he’s enjoying his life, we can’t picture a comeback coming anytime soon – which is probably why Oliveira vs Makhachev feels like it makes so much sense.

Who would you have preferred to see Charles Oliveira fight later this year – Conor McGregor or Islam Makhachev? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!