Charles Oliveira is reflecting on the worst knockout loss of his iconic 47-fight MMA career.
The former lightweight champion has technically suffered five KO losses inside the Octagon.
However, none of them were quite like what Ilia Topuria did to him at UFC 317 on June 28.
Charles Oliveira was left unconscious on the floor after a perfect two-punch combination, which got the Brazilian legend thinking about the hardest hitters he’s come up against.
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Charles Oliveira names his hardest-hitting opponent
Oliveira gave a shocking response to the ‘hardest-hitting opponent’ question during UFC 312 Q&A.
‘Do Bronx’ claimed that no one punched harder than him after previously sharing the cage with Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Jeremy Stephens, and many more of the great MMA boxers.
The 35-year-old has changed his tune after being flatlined by Ilia Topuria a couple of weeks ago.
“Ilia is definitely the hardest hitter. Oliveira told Ag.Fight.
“He’s the one who hit me the hardest. There’s no denying it. I’ve taken really hard hits from guys like Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler that only ended in a knockdown.
“I’ve never been knocked out before. I’ve been knocked down by punches, but this time I got knocked out. It was something new for me. I didn’t know what had happened.”
What’s next for Charles Oliveira?
In the same interview, Oliveira revealed his return timeline and named the opponent he wants next.
Holloway is set to defend his BMF title against Poirier, who will retire after UFC 318, on July 19.
Whatever way that fight goes, Oliveira fancies squaring off against ‘Blessed’ in a rematch later this year.
“(Max Holloway) will fight in July, I fought in June,” he said. “I think November would be the time.
“It would be a great fight. He said he would fight too, so why not?”