Ilia Topuria may want to take note of what caught Justin Gaethje off guard against Charles Oliveira three years ago.
Topuria will fight Oliveira at UFC 317, where the pair will be tasked with closing out International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
Their bout for the vacant lightweight title came together as a result of Islam Makhachev moving to welterweight and setting his sights on Jack Della Maddalena’s gold.
‘El Matador’ has been largely focused on his rivalry with the champion in recent days, with Topuria branding Makhachev a “coward” for leaving the division.
But the Georgian-Spaniard will soon need to have his full attention on Oliveira, especially given what past opponents have said about the Brazilian.
Justin Gaethje was amazed by Charles Oliveira’s power at UFC 274
Before running into Makhachev in October 2022 and failing to regain the lightweight crown, Oliveira cemented that opportunity by bouncing back from a weight debacle against ‘The Highlight’.
After being stripped of the title on the scale, ‘Do Bronx’ continued his remarkable run of wins at UFC 274, where Oliveira choked out Gaethje.
While the Brazilian’s ground threat was much discussed in the lead-up, not many had predicted Oliveira to drop the former interim champ in the way he did to set up the submission.
And Gaethje was as surprised as anyone.
“You hit hard as f—k,” Gaethje exclaimed during a backstage conversation with Oliveira that featured in UFC 274: The Thrill and the Agony.
Justin Gaethje said Charles Oliveira landed the hardest punch he’s ever faced
During a media scrum backstage at UFC 278 a few months later, Gaethje expanded on what he told Oliveira after their fight.
“Charles was brilliant. And he hurt me often, he hurt me early. 10 seconds in, I was really hurt, and probably four times after that. I felt something I never felt in the cage,” Gaethje said. “It’s just one of those fights where I was against adversity the whole time.
“It’s a feeling I’ve never felt. Usually, you get hit, you call it a buzz, call it a flash. This is more like my tongue just went on a super powerful battery and it just… my entire body was crazy,” Gaethje added. “It was perfect shots, perfect time, one or the other.”
Not only does Oliveira hit hard, but Gaethje put the Brazilian above the likes of Dustin Poirier and Michael Johnson as the most powerful puncher he’s ever faced.
“I think the best shot that landed on me was from Oliveira,” he said during a promotional Q&A for UFC 300. “The same shot 100 times, you don’t see it one time, and it’s so much more effective.
“That was the case that night. He caught me off guard and by surprise, and it hurt.”
With that in mind, while Topuria is regarded as a better striker than Oliveira, the gulf in power between ‘El Matador’ and ‘Do Bronx’ may not be as great as many perceive.