Ilia Topuria is hardly the first boxer Charles Oliveira has faced in his UFC career.
The former UFC Featherweight Champion’s come a long way from his roots in Greco-Roman wrestling. In more recent years, Ilia Topuria has found a love for his boxing, knocking out fan-favorites left and right.
Many fear Oliveira will be next.
Coming off knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway at featherweight, the heavy-handed Topuria moves up a division to challenge former champ Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28th.
Oliveira, the most prolific submission artist in UFC history, has seen his share of dangerous strikers before Topuria like Justin Gaethje and Jeremy Stephens, as well as Holloway and Dustin Poirier, who fight each other in the main event of UFC 318.
So, who’s the best boxer of them all?
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Charles Oliveira says Dustin Poirier is the sharpest boxer he’s ever fought
Oliveira’s answer could change after Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, but for now, ‘Do Bronx’ believes his former title challenger Dustin Poirier has got the ‘sharpest’ boxing.
“For me, of all of the guys I’ve fought, he’s the one with the sharpest boxing,” Oliveira said of Poirier in an interview with Full Violence.
“He fights more consciously, he has a very heavy hand.
“He knows how to play the game.”
Poirier fought Oliveira for the lightweight title at UFC 269 in Dec. 2021 after stopping Conor McGregor twice in the same year.
Oliveira was dropped with a powerful left hook in the first round and came back to submit Poirier in the third round.
Charles Oliveira picks Dustin Poirier over Max Holloway at UFC 318
Oliveira didn’t go three rounds when he fought Max Holloway in 2015.
In the opening round of their featherweight fight, Oliveira suffered a neck and shoulder injury in 99 seconds, stopping the bout. Holloway was awarded the TKO victory.
Holloway will meet Poirier in a trilogy bout at UFC 318 on July 18th in Poirier’s native state of Louisiana. Looking forward to the BMF title fight and Poirier’s retirement fight is Oliveira, who predicts Poirier to come out on top.
“When I fought Holloway, I didn’t have the chance to fight because it was too fast because I had an injury. I think Holloway is a guy who moves a lot, a guy who catches…
“But, man, Dustin Poirier is a guy that I have huge respect for.
“He will fight at home practically, so I think Poirier wins,” Oliveira predicted.