[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] has confirmed his plan to go after the lightweight title if he beats Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy bout.
McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC), a former lightweight and featherweight champion, will attempt to reassert himself back in the title picture Saturday when he meets Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) in their rubber match.
UFC president Dana White has said multiple times throughout fight week that the winner will move to the front of the queue to challenge 155-pound king [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag].
To this point, McGregor has been mum on his post-fight plans. But Thursday, he revealed to BT Sport it is his plan to fight Oliveira (31-8 MMA, 19-8 UFC) next.
“Yeah, it’s Oliveira next,” McGregor said. “We’ll dance with the Brazilians again, and I look forward to it.”
UFC 264 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+, and Oliveira is expected to be cageside for the headliner.
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Despite only having one win in the octagon at lightweight, which was his title-winning performance against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016, McGregor’s star power and previous accolades always keep him among the top contenders.
McGregor technically never lost the belt. He was stripped when he took a lengthy hiatus from competition, and while he was gone Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed the gold. Nurmagomedov later beat McGregor in his return, then put together a memorable title reign.
Nurmagomedov has since retired, however, and Oliveira won the vacant strap at UFC 262 in May with a second-round TKO of Michael Chandler. The Brazilian is on a nine-fight winning streak, holds the record for most stoppages in UFC history, and is eagerly awaiting the UFC 264 winner.
McGregor fully intends to be that man, and he’s confident in his chances of ending Oliveira’s reign before it can truly get started.
“No, (he doesn’t impress me),” McGregor said. “He’s timid. He’s going to crumble.”
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