Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has malicious intentions for his UFC 317 lightweight title fight.
Former UFC champions Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira will fight for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 later this month in Las Vegas. After Islam Makhachev vacated the belt last month for a move to welterweight, Topuria and Oliveira will collide in one of the biggest fights of the year.
Topuria has run through many top names during his UFC tenure, including Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. He handed Holloway his first-career knockout loss at UFC 308 in October in what was his final featherweight title defense.
Topuria and Oliveira have traded barbs for months leading up to UFC 317. As the fight draws closer, Topuria is planning on dishing out one of the most gruesome knockouts in UFC history on June 28th.
Ilia Topuria teased gruesome finish to upcoming UFC 317 title fight
The former UFC lightweight champion Oliveira has demonstrated incredible durability during his promotional tenure. After an up-and-down start to his UFC career at 145 lbs, Oliveira has taken on some of the hardest punchers in UFC lightweight history, and hasn’t been knocked out since 2017.
Topuria plans on being the one to break through Oliveira’s durability at UFC 317.
During a pre-event promo for UFC 317, Topuria gave fight fans an idea of how he’s feeling after making the full-time transition to 155 lbs.
“I feel so powerful at 155,” Topuria teased.
“I’m gonna touch his chin and it will explode.”
Topuria’s comments add a chilling dimension to the upcoming vacant lightweight title fight. But Oliveira believes his size and experience will be too much for the undersized Topuria to overcome when they meet in the Octagon.
In Topuria’s last lightweight appearance against Jai Herbert, he overcame an early knockdown to knock Herbert out cold at UFC London in 2022.
- READ MORE: UFC legend proposes retirement fight with Sean O’Malley after repeat title loss at UFC 316
Islam Makhachev set to challenge for Jack Della Maddalena’s belt after LW vacation
As for the lightweight division’s former titleholder, Makhachev will likely face UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in a highly-anticipated super fight later this year. Makhachev hasn’t fought at welterweight during his career, but was considered oversized for the lightweight division.
Maddalena defeated Makhachev’s friend and teammate, Belal Muhammad, for the welterweight belt last month at UFC 315. Maddalena wants the Makhachev showdown to take place in Perth in what would be a homecoming for the new champion.
Time will tell if Maddalena’s wishes will be granted. In either case, expect fireworks when Maddalena and Makhachev meet in the Octagon.