In his third UFC title fight, Ilia Topuria is looking to take out another legend of the sport.
The former UFC featherweight champion has said some divisive things in the past and he is not afraid to be critical of his opponents.
This has been the case ahead of UFC 317 with Topuria making references to Charles Oliveira’s setbacks during his time in the UFC.
‘El Matador’ also brushed off Oliveira’s claims that he holds the power advantage over Topuria by labelling the Brazilian’s comments as “wishful thinking”.
Ahead of their clash for the vacant lightweight title, the undefeated star outlined why they have very different records at this stage in their careers.
Ilia Topuria says his ability to force opponents to ‘play his game’ is why he’s undefeated and Charles Oliveira isn’t
With International Fight Week quickly approaching, the Countdown preview for UFC 317 dropped on June 21 to give fans some extra insight into the two title fights that will top the card.
During his segments, Ilia Topuria was unsurprisingly flowing with self belief as he spoke about how he will put Charles Oliveira away to prove that he’s the best featherweight and lightweight on the planet.
Alongside the final footage of his preparations in Madrid, Topuria spoke about the matchup and how he sees things playing out on June 28.
‘El Matador’ has proven inside the Octagon that he’s a very well-rounded competitor who is dangerous whether the fight stays standing or hits the floor.
While Oliveira is also a ruthless fight finisher in several ways, Topuria highlighted the reason why he is yet to taste defeat while ‘Do Bronx’ has suffered several setbacks.
He believes that he’s able to dominate fights by forcing his opponents to “play his game”, which is something that Oliveira lacks.
“Charles is not going to have any advantage. I’m a very complete fighter. I can go everywhere and you’re not going to feel comfortable in any place. I’m going to be dominating all the time. I don’t play anyone’s game, I make them play my game. That’s why I’m undefeated and he’s not. He has 10 losses, I have zero. I respect him but I’m going to try to take his head off and you all know that I’m going to do it.”
Charles Oliveira disputes Ilia Topuria’s claim that he’ll dictate the fight in every area
In his last four fights, Charles Oliveira has gone 2-2 but he’s been facing the very best that the lightweight division has to offer.
‘Do Bronx’ may have 10 losses on his record but only two of them have come since 2018 where the Brazilian really turned a corner in his career and started to emerge as a top lightweight.
During the Countdown preview, Oliveira argues exactly the opposite point to Ilia Topuria, claiming that his well-rounded skillset will allow him to dictate the fight.
“Both in striking and grappling, I’m better. I move forward, I’ve got heavy hands. I’m physically strong. My jiu-jitsu is razor sharp, and my wrestling improves every day. I’ll be one step ahead of him in every area, I’m certain of that.”