Charles Oliveira claims Conor McGregor is ducking him.

Oliveira returns to action for the first time since his October defeat to Islam Makhachev when he fights Beneil Dariush in a pivotal lightweight encounter in the co-main event of UFC 289 this weekend.

The defeat to Makhachev was Oliveira's first since December 2017 and it's fair to say he's hungry to get his lightweight title back — but first, he needs to make a statement against Dariush, who is on an eight-fight winning streak.

“I’m not the champ anymore,” Do Bronx said (via SI). “That changes everything. I’m waking up early, I’m staying up late thinking about getting my belt back. It’s always on my mind. Getting the belt back, that’s my focus. That’s my goal. With a good performance on Saturday, I’ll be fighting for the title.

“… Dariush is a great fighter. He’s one of the best in the world. If he thinks he will dominate me, he is wrong. I will be the one leaving with my hand raised.”

UFC 289 will also mark Oliveira's first fight in eight months — the longest layoff he's had since the pandemic.

However, the Brazilian submission specialist was willing to wait even longer to fight if he got a chance to face McGregor. That didn't end up happening as the Irishman is instead expected to make his highly-anticipated return later this year against Michael Chandler.

And as far as Oliveira is concerned, the matchup didn't happen for a reason.

“Everyone knows that Conor is avoiding me,” Oliveira added. “His fight against Chandler will be great, but everyone can tell he is avoiding me. Personally, I think Chandler will win. Conor is very strategic, and he can fight—but he won’t fight me.”

If we know anything about McGregor, he will certainly respond to Oliveira if these comments reach his radar.