Charles Oliveira knows exactly who he wants for his next time out - Conor McGregor.

The most recent UFC lightweight champion remains the top dog at 155-pounds despite not holding the title at present. Ahead of his last bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in May, Oliveira made history as the first champion in promotional history to miss weight, resulting in his stripping of the title.

Regardless of scale troubles, “Do Bronx” looked arguably better than ever, slugging it out with Gaethje as soon as the fight began. Ultimately, “The Highlight” suffered the same fate as most before him, succumbing to a first-round rear-naked choke submission.

Viewed by many as the king without his crown, Oliveira is expected to compete for the vacant title when he steps back into the octagon, it’s just a matter of who that comes against. If the all-time leader in UFC submissions has his way, there’s only one right choice.

“[Conor McGregor] would be a very good fight for me,” Oliveira told ESPN. “It would put a lot of money in my pocket, and [at this moment] that’s the most important thing. And it would also be really good for my legacy, for me to have in my story. Regardless, if he’s coming from defeat or not, he’s a guy who’s made history, so I think it would be great, but it’s not just up to me. If it were up to me, this fight would already be happening.

“I have a daughter to raise. Everyone wants to fight Conor, it’s not just me who wants to. Everyone knows that fighting Conor is very profitable. I’m talking about money. And Conor knows that, that everyone wants to fight him.”

For “The Notorious” McGregor, he’s struggled in his most recent appearances against rival, Dustin Poirier. Scoring a first-round knockout in Sept. 2014, McGregor found himself unable to replicate those same results seven years later in their rematch. Poirier bested the Irishman with a second-round knockout against the cage before earning a TKO in the trilogy after McGregor sustained a broken leg. Still on the road to recovery, it’s unsure exactly when McGregor will return but all signs point to him potentially being ready before 2023.

As for the other more logical options, most may agree that the No. 4 ranked contender in the official UFC rankings, Islam Makhachev, should be next to compete for the title. Like Oliveira, Makhachev is also on a 10-plus winning streak.

Fortunately for Oliveira and his desires, UFC President Dana White appears to be more interested in rebooking Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush than granting the feared Russian his first crack at gold.

“I’ve never ran from a fight and the lightweight champion is called Charles Oliveira,” Oliveira said. “Is Islam a very tough guy? Yep. Did he fight big names? No. He’s on a big streak, but who did he fight?”

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TOP STORIES

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Three-Piece. Leon Edwards blasts “little rat” Jorge Masvidal, wants to defend title against him in London.

Rowdy. Ronda Rousey names Gina Carano as the one opponent she’d return to MMA to fight.

Odds. Kamaru Usman set as heavy betting favorite over Leon Edwards ahead of UFC 278 rematch.

Next? Jiri Prochazka: “Aggressive” Jan Blachowicz “tried to flex” cageside at UFC 275.

Contention. Manager Jorge Guimaraes says winner of Alex Pereira vs. Sean Strickland will fight for UFC title, shares update on Pitbull brothers, Machida, more.

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VIDEO STEW

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Top 10 Bantamweight Submissions in UFC History

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Recapping UFC 275 & 1-on-1 with Sean O’Malley | DC & RC

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LISTEN UP

Fighter vs. Writer. MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin chats with Josh Emmett and Felice Herrig.

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses where Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira ranks in all-time best UFC fights and Adrian Yanez joins the show.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Almost!

Thailand.

On track.

Post-fight.

Practice.

What is…?

Hollywood Weili.

Cowgirl?

New UFC signee...?

Fruit.

Their hair though.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ian Garry (9-0) vs. Gabe Green (11-3); UFC 276, July 2

Patricky Freire (24-10) vs. Sidney Outlaw (16-4); Bellator 278, July 22

Douglas Lima (32-10) vs. Jason Jackson (15-4); Bellator 278, July 22

Usman Nurmagomedov (14-0) vs. Chris Gonzalez (7-1); Bellator 278, July 22

Adam Piccolotti (13-4) vs. Tofiq Musayev (18-4); Bellator 278, July 22

Jai Herbert (11-4) vs. Kyle Nelson (13-4); UFC London, July 23

Josh Quinlan (5-0) vs. Jason Witt (19-8); UFC Fight Night, Aug. 6

Tyson Pedro (8-3) vs. Harry Hunsucker (7-5); UFC 278, Aug. 20

Andre Fili (21-9) vs. Lando Vannata (12-6-2); UFC Fight Night, Sept. 17

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Charles deserves a big payday... but he should be able to get that by fighting a legit contender. Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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