Charles Oliveira Vows to Repeat History Against Ilia Topuria by Shutting Down Doubters

UFC veteran Charles Oliveira isn't convinced about Ilia Topuria's all-around skillset ahead of UFC 317.

Charles Oliveira Vows to Repeat History Against Ilia Topuria by Shutting Down Doubters

Charles Oliveira doesn't think Ilia Topuria can submit him (via X)

UFC 317 is expected to be a massive event as Charles Oliveira takes on Ilia Topuria in a highly anticipated bout. Going into the fight, the Georgian-Spanish star is the fan favorite and is expected to come up trumps. However, Oliveira doesn’t believe that will be the case and recently shut down a lot of the ongoing criticism confidently.

Topuria is well known for his incredible knockout power. Besides that, many fans also believe the fighter has strong BJJ skills comparable to the legendary Brazilian submission specialist. However, in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, ‘Do Bronx’ questioned Topuria’s all-round capabilities and shared his honest opinion.

The last one said Charles quits, and I went there and ran over him. ‘Charles has no hands’ — I went there and knocked him out. We know he [Ilia] has aggressive boxing; he’s very dangerous. Everybody says his jiu-jitsu is good, but he hasn’t used it in the UFC yet.

Oliveira has been in the UFC for over a decade and has faced some of the best fighters in the world. In his early days, he lost many fights and even tapped out multiple times. As a result, a common narrative began, labeling the Brazilian as someone who gives up – a quitter.

The same quitter narrative was used on him by Khabib Nurmagomedov before the Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 280. As predicted by many, Oliveira lost that bout via. submission, but his impressive title reign was still widely celebrated by fans.

Charles Oliveira is convinced about Ilia Topuria

In his last bout, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler in a decisive fashion and immediately demanded a well-deserved lightweight title shot. Following Islam Makhachev’s title vacation, the Brazilian finally received that opportunity against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. Since the fight announcement, the Georgian-Spanish fighter has been actively trash-talking and sending out cold warnings in every chance he gets.

Charles Oliveira doesn't feel respected by Ilia Topuria
Charles Oliveira doesn’t feel respected by Ilia Topuria (via Imago)

Ilia Topuria has promised to knock out Oliveira and even offered him a chance to get submitted, flexing his complete skill set. The fighter continues looking past the Brazilian legend, already talking about future title defenses and dominating the entire lightweight division. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, ‘Do Bronx’ addressed all these comments and gave a perfectly befitting reply.

He [Topuria] has definitely not treated me with the same respect. I don’t know (why). He’s been saying a lot, but the fact of the matter is we’re going to find out on June 28. Everyone knows who the real champion is. I just want to win. It’s meant to be. It’s already written.

Oliveira has much more experience and wants to become the first fighter to knock Topuria out at UFC 317 event. The Brazilian is highly motivated to reclaim his lost glory and is mentally prepared. On the other hand, the former featherweight champion has posted several training clips where he’s looking big and dangerous.

According to Topuria, he’s feeling much more powerful at lightweight, which could instantly boost his chances of beating Oliveira. If he finishes the Brazilian, Topuria will likely see a major rise in the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings very quickly. Going forward, he can also settle his rivalry with Islam Makhachev and cement his name among the greatest of all time.