Oliveira accuses McGregor of dodging him to take 'easier path' against Holloway

Charles Oliveira has accused Conor McGregor of deliberately sidestepping a fight with him following his dominant five-round decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 326 in March, claiming the Irishman chose Holloway for UFC 329 on July 11 because he viewed him as the easier opponent.

“You and everyone else know that fight was supposed to be mine, but he chose Max because he thinks he can beat Max. The truth is, he ran from me,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “It was never officially offered [to me], but everyone knew that whoever won between Max and I would fight him. In reality, he picked Max because he thought it was the easier path.”

Oliveira beat Holloway to claim the BMF belt and had expected the victory to set up a long-anticipated meeting with McGregor. Instead, McGregor will headline at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Holloway — his first octagon appearance since fracturing his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, a year in which he went 0-2 against the American.

Despite his frustration, Oliveira does not expect McGregor to have a straightforward night against Holloway. He warned that the Irishman’s four-year absence from competition makes him a difficult quantity to assess, while acknowledging the knockout threat remains very real in the early rounds.

“It’s a complicated fight because he hasn’t been in the cage for a long time,” Oliveira said. “How many years has he been out now? It’s been a long time, five years without fighting. But he’s Conor. If you make a mistake and he lands, he will knock you out.”

Oliveira believes the fight’s trajectory will shift significantly as the rounds progress. Holloway’s championship pedigree — 12 of his last 17 fights went to championship rounds — gives him a structural advantage if he can survive the early danger.

“I think the first and second rounds favor [McGregor] a lot,” Oliveira said. “After that, things swing much more in Max’s favor. Conor has a great chance of getting the knockout early if he can impose his game. But once you get past those rounds, Max definitely has a much better chance of winning.”

With the McGregor fight now off the table for the time being, Oliveira has his sights set on Justin Gaethje, a matchup that would unify the UFC lightweight title with the BMF belt.