Riding high on his success, with notable wins over fighters like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is now setting his sights on the lightweight division’s elites. He’s preparing for a major showdown at UFC 317 against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title — a matchup that stunned the MMA world earlier this month.
Topuria didn’t hold back when addressing the Brazilian, saying, “First of all, I’d like to thank Charles for accepting the challenge,” ‘El Matador’ said on Thursday. “Something Islam didn’t do, and he has to pay the price for Islam. Honestly, I feel really sorry for Charles, but at the end of the day, it’s my job.”
While Topuria had originally aimed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, Makhachev recently made it official that he is moving up to the welterweight division, clearing the way for Charles Oliveira to become Ilia Topuria’s next opponent. Despite Topuria’s warning, Charles Oliveira remained unfazed.
Speaking casually over lunch with Shiv and the Full Violence MMA, Oliveira responded with humility and confidence: “Man, in reality, we’ve been in there for 15 years. I’ve seen a lot. These guys say a lot of things — that I’ll give up, that I’m going to lose, that they’re going to win — and then when the time comes, they don’t do anything. So, as I said, I expect all of them. This is another guy I respect, but in the same way, he has dreams. He also has promises, so I’m going to look for that all the time.”
MMA: UFC 298-Volkanovski vs Topuria Feb 17, 2024 Anaheim, California, USA Ilia Topuria before fighting against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Anaheim Honda Center California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20240217_gav_sv5_170
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