Charles Oliveira seems to highly tout lia Topuria heading into their fight this weekend but the former is wondering if the latter can measure up the murderer’s row of talent he has fought throughout his career. Oliveira vs. Topuria headlines UFC 317 on Saturday, June 28th with the vacant lightweight title up for grabs in this year’s International Fight Week main event.
While Oliveira looks to regain the lightweight strap he once had, Topuria is aiming to enter that rarefied air of two divison champions in UFC history considering he previously won their featherweight strap. When speaking to assembled reporters at the fight week media day regarding his process heading into this fight as well as his prior fighting history compared to the run Topuria has been on, Oliveira said,
“Evolution, experience—you grow every day. That’s what I’m doing. I’m evolving, I’m not losing my aggressive style, but I’m a little more calculated. I continue to be aggressive, but I’m also thinking more.”
“I’ve fought legends of this sport. Ilia Topuria has a lot of hype right now, but does he have what it takes to match those men? The guys you mentioned—how many years have they been among the best in the world? Topuria is a kid who is arriving, hungry, undefeated, and has a lot to prove.”
Charles Oliveira vs. Ilia Topuria is a 50/50 fight according to former lightweight champ
Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria is a fight that is captivating the attention of many including the man who vacated the lightweight belt that will be on the line this weekend. Islam Makhachev was touching upon this massive matchup during a recent interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie as Makhachev stated [via MMA Junkie],
“It depends who can follow his game plan. If Charles can take him down, he can finish him easy on the ground. Or, if Topuria can catch him, he’s going to sleep. It’s two options. Who is going to make the game plan work?”
“[Oliveira has a] big chance. He always fights good against strikers. He has good striking. Against [Dustin] Poirier he fought good, against [Michael] Chandler he fought good. Both have good punch, both very good at stand up. But if you give him small chance, he’s going to finish. That’s why Charles is always dangerous. So I’ll go 50/50.”
