CONOR MCGREGOR has been accused of hand-picking opponents as he gears up for his return to the octagon.
The Notorious is on the verge of returning to the cage after recovering from the horrific broken leg he suffered in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier nearly two years ago.
APConor McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in July 2021[/caption]
INSTAGRAM@THENOTORIOUSMMAThe Notorious is seemingly fighting fit and ready to compete[/caption]
GETTYBut he’s been slammed by Charles Oliveira for cherry-picking his fights[/caption]
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has campaigned hard to welcome the Irishman back to action over the last year.
McGregor, 34, has yet to seriously entertain the offer – which has led Do Bronx to believe he’s not keen on the fight.
The Brazilian said: “There are no fools here, everybody knows we want this fight because he’ll give us a lot of money.
“But I do think he’s a guy that needs to be hyped.
“I’ve asked for this fight plenty of times and he never says anything.
“I’ll be ready to fight him the day he wants, but I won’t call him out anymore.”
Oliveira’s countryman and fellow former 155lb champ Rafael dos Anjos has also campaigned to share the cage with McGregor – who he was due to fight in March 2016 – but has also been left in the lurch.
RDA said: “Conor picks his fights. Like Charles said, everybody wants this fight because it will be lucrative.
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“He picks his fights. When he feels that’s the fight for him, he’ll choose it.
“We’ll be waiting but we’ll continue fighting in the meantime.”
Oliveira is adamant McGregor is searching for an opponent he believes he can easily beat for his eagerly-anticipated return.
He said: “McGregor chickened out a long time ago.
“Like Rafael [Dos Anjos] said, he handpicks his fights.
“I think he looks at the guy and thinks ‘I can beat this one’ and then he signs the contract.
GettyConor McGregor looks set to return to the octagon in the summer[/caption]
“He’s right not to fight me because he knows what will happen.”
McGregor is fighting fit and seemingly champing at the bit to get back in the cage after his painstaking 19-month-long rehab.
And he’s seemingly on course to compete late in the summer after a second stint coaching on the Ultimate Fighter – which could pit him against long-time rival Tony Ferguson.
McGregor, however, currently can’t compete until he’s been re-enrolled in the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool for a minimum of six months – unless he receives an exemption.
Last November, he said: “I’m clear for testing in February.
“I will complete my two tests per USADA & we are booking a fight.”