Ilia Topuria announced his lightweight title fight on X by saying, “Charles [Oliveira] is a great fighter, no doubt, but I believe he’s past his prime. When I step in there, I’m going to take that belt and show everyone who the real lightweight king is. His wrestling isn’t what it used to be, and I’m ready to expose that.” His confidence in his knockout power is pretty evident, as it was even further cemented by his striking coach Javi Climent, who said: “Honestly, I think he ‘kills’ Charles Oliveira on the feet. Ilia’s speed, power, and precision will break him down. It’s clear that Ilia has grown so much, and he’s the future, not Charles.”
Heading into this fight, Topuria is coming off the two biggest wins of his career, after beating Alexander Volkanovski for the belt and defending it once against Max Holloway. ‘El Matador’ showed no mercy to either, as the fights ended in a brutal knockout loss for both legends. The majority believes Oliveira will meet the same end, but even they know, as many of ‘Do Bronxs’s believers do, Oliveira has all the tools to beat Topuria, if not finish him.
Former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson is among those who believe Charles Oliveira has the same chances to win the bout against Topuria. Through his days of fighting for the promotion, Thomson gave an insight into the presence and the already large frame for 155-pounds of Charles Oliveira. He highlighted that the size difference may be overwhelming for Topuria and how exposing his back to Oliveira won’t end as nicely as it did with Bryce Mitchell at a previous 145-pound bout.
On the 574th edition of his podcast ‘Weighing In’, Thomson said, “But what’s Charles like at 155 pounds against somebody who, like a Charles Oliveira, what, is Ilia like at 155 lbs? Can he handle the weight? Can you know what exactly, where is he at in that position? Can he handle the weight? Can he handle the length of Charles? You know, the high knees, if he dips his head, the knees coming through the middle. Charles Oliveira is dangerous, I mean he’s got the height, um, you know, he’s got the push kicks, he’s got good leg kicks. He can kick the head really well, you know he can jump on the gilly extremely well. I mean I want you guys to remember, Ilia lost a takedown and almost gave his back up or was giving up his back to Bryce Mitchell.”
He further added: “There’s different levels, you know, I mean Bryce Mitchell was a high school wrestler, Charles Oliveira never was really a wrestler, but he’s come a long way. He’s able to take down, you know um a division one wrestler in Missouri. You know and Michael Chandler, I know Michael’s older, Michael’s washed a little bit you know, he’s getting a little bit up he’s up there in age obviously. Not having much success but, I’m not ready to count Charles Oliveira out.”
Madison Square Garden NEW YORK CITY, NY -NOVEMBER 16:Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout for UFC309 – Jones vs Miocic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, NY Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx spp-en-LoGr-lrg2411164271670_UFCVegas309
Indeed, Oliveira isn’t just another seasoned lightweight. He’s a consistent championship contender with the most submission victories and most finishes in the history of the UFC. After losing his second title shot to Islam Makhachev, this will be the third time we see Oliveira compete for the belt, with the looming possibility that it can also be the last.
At UFC 317, the stakes are high for Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is currently 36 years old. He is 2-2 in his last four fights, and after a loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, the hopes of an immediate title shot for ‘Do Bronxs’ were unlikely until he beat Chandler again. Now, as he stands against Ilia Topuria, the stakes haven’t been higher for the Brazilian. He is largely expected to be decimated by the ‘El Matador’.
But adversity is where Oliveira has learned to shine the most. In his humility, he acknowledges the true power of his opponent, Topuria, while reminding the world of what Oliveira is capable of himself. He said, “I have nothing but respect for Ilia Topuria, but this is lightweight. It’s the most difficult division you have ever seen, and I have power in my hands. I believe in my jiu-jitsu, but I believe that I could knock Ilia Topuria out.”
If not in submission, then in knockout, Oliveira will enter the Octagon with the same intentions as his opponent at the T-Mobile Arena. The question is, will he be able to upset the world and beat Topuria? While there is a huge threat of Topuria KO’ing Oliveira easily, the threat of ‘Do Bronxs’s submission game is being overlooked, however, it is much larger.
So what do you think? Will Charles be able to capitalize on his advantages? Or will Ilia’s power turn out too strong to take for him? Let us know in the comments.
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