Charles Oliveira is joining the droves of fighters campaigning for a fight card spot that corresponds with Donald Trump’s birthday and is eyeing a true golden goose in combat sports. The former UFC lightweight champion was referring to a desired Conor McGregor fight at the UFC White House card, even though Oliveira is heading into this next assignment this weekend.
‘do Bronx’ will clash with Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio, with Oliveira shifting his focus from a previously scheduled opponent. Oliveira was supposed to fight Rafael Fiziev, but his withdrawal forced a reshifting of his focus on Gamrot.
Appearing at a UFC Rio media day, Oliveira seemed to have a defined focus on Gamrot this weekend, but also has his eyes on June 14th, 2026. This has not been something that Oliveira has been shy about over the years, as the native of Sao Paulo state has openly called for a fight with ‘The Notorious’.
Charles Oliveira’s thoughts on a McGregor White House bout
Charles Oliveira sees himself versus Conor McGregor as a true money fight, with the two having meaningful runs at both featherweight as well as lightweight. When discussing his desired plan for a clash with the former two-division UFC champion and the logic that underpins that for him, Oliveira said [via MMA Fighting],
“Financial [reason]. I just said I’m the most truthful one here. My history wasn’t manufactured, my history is the way it is. I won’t change my way of speaking. Why the desire to fight Conor? Finances. How much money you think that would generate? How much money would that bring to everyone’s pockets? It’s a lot of money. We’re talking about a lot of money. So why? That’s the truth.”
“It’s not because he beat this guy or that guy or has done this or that. He’s never said a bad thing about me. Quite the opposite, I’m always saying good things about him. He’s made history inside the cage, beat great names. He had his way of talking — it’s not the way I talk, the way I like to promote, but it’s way of promoting and has made him a lot of money, has done a lot for our sport. But why do I want the fight? Because it would give me a lot of money, that’s the truth. I have nothing against him.”
The 35-year-old is putting his name in the running for a fight with someone who, while admittedly he is a massive star, McGregor is someone who has not fought in over four years and is now serving an 18-month suspension related to whereabouts issues for targeted drug testing. That being said, Conor McGregor would be eligible to return by March. So a fight on the Summer White House card is not compromised by any means.
