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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Harry Davies

Charles Oliveira sets Conor McGregor impossible deadline for UFC title fight

Charles Oliveira has suggested making the second defence of his lightweight title against Conor McGregor in this weekend's upcoming UFC event.

Oliveira defeated McGregor's rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 just three days ago, overcoming a knockdown in the opening 30 seconds to submit Poirier in the third round.

McGregor slammed Poirier for his "embarrassing" performance whilst replying to Nate Diaz on Twitter and labelled his "closed guard" game in the second round as "shocking".

The Irishman also staked his claim for the next shot at Oliveira, tweeting a picture of himself wearing a UFC belt captioned: "So what date am I fighting Oliveira?"

It didn't take long for the undisputed champion to reply to McGregor's request, writing: "What do you think about this weekend? I'm ready, I'm still in town, and there's an upcoming event. Let's go baby"

Charles Oliveira submitted Dustin Poirer at UFC 269 (Getty Images)

And McGregor replied: 'In Brazil they shouted Uh Vai morrer (You will die) but McGregor is STILL HERE."

McGregor - who broke his tibia against Poirier in July - has admitted he will not return to "full MMA sparring" by April, making a fight against Oliveira this weekend impossible.

Oliveira is also likely to be handed a medical suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after his hard outing with Poirier.

And UFC president Dana White confirmed after Oliveira's recent win that former interim champion Justin Gaethje would be next in line for the Brazilian.

Gaethje backed Poirier to end the winning streak of Oliveira at UFC 269 and previously labelled 'Do Bronx' as a "quitter", something the champion isn't bothered by.

“Listen, I don’t care, I come here and I do it. I’m not on the internet, I’m not on Twitter, I’m not on Facebook trying to show people what’s going on," he said after his recent win.

Who should Conor McGregor fight in his UFC return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

"I’m here, I’m the champion, I have this belt, I’m gonna keep defending it, I don’t care what people say. I’m gonna do me.

"A fight is a fight. I’m gonna do what I do. We’re gonna plan around whoever the opponent is and we’re gonna do what’s needed and we’re just gonna continue to train and make it happen.”

Despite their verbal back and forth, Oliveira and Gaethje respectfully traded words backstage at UFC 269 as a 2022 fight between the pair seems inevitable.

McGregor - who hasn't won at 155-pounds in five years - is also unlikely to fight for the belt in his UFC return as he finds himself ranked at No.9 in the lightweight rankings.

The 33-year-old is 1-3 in his last four fights, being stopped twice by Poirier this calendar year.

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