Charles Oliveira gives SHOCK answer to ‘toughest opponent’ question in UFC 312 Q&A: “The guy who hits the hardest…”
Top lightweight contender Charles Oliveira gives shocking answer to 'hardest opponent' question in UFC 312 media Q&A.
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Charles Oliveira says he's a harder hitter than anyone he's ever fought ahead of UFC 312 (Source: X/IMAGO)
Charles Oliveira has shared the cage with some mighty strikers. Renowned for his incredible Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills, ‘Do Bronx’ is a true pound-for-pound specialist. Oliveira was a guest fighter at the UFC 312 PPV Media Q&A. But when asked to name the toughest striker he’s ever faced, only one came to mind.
Now who could that be for Charles Oliveira. The Brazilian fighter may be a grappling specialist, but he’s never afraid in standup games. Oliveira met and defeated hard-chin explosive boxer Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. He reiterates that example to tout himself as the best of the best.
It’s very hard to answer, but [I’ve fought] Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler. When I fought Justin Gaethje, they said, ‘He’s the guy who hits the hardest’…When I hit him, he folded. So, I’ll tell you what — the guy who hits the hardest is me! I’m the problem of this division; I’m going for the BMF belt as well. I’m the one to do it.
Charles Oliveira during the UFC 312 PPV Q&A in Sydney (H/T The MacLife)
Charles Oliveira also recently defeated ex-Bellator brand face Michael Chandler, who gave crisp boxer Dustin Poirier a run for a few frames. Oliveira defeated him at the UFC 309 PPV co-main event in November. After which, he’s touting himself ready for a 155-pound “BMF” challenge.
Oliveira’s 20 stoppage victories in UFC competition is at No. 1. UFC Record Book lists his 16 submission victories/five guillotine-choke submissions/three anaconda chokes as the highest as well. The Brazilian landed 30 of 47 on Gaethje (Sig. str. 63%; same as Gaethje) and defeated him via submission.
Oliveira felt disrespected by the UFC prior to his fight with Gaethje. So, it’s no surprise that he took the opportunity to fire a shot. His other UFC 312 Q&A compatriots had other answers. Tai Tuivasa went back to his bloated, spliffy frame of around 400 lbs!
Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski went the funny route. He answered that the hardest hitter would probably be Ilia Topuria if he even remembered it! Speaking of Volk and Topuria, the group has quite a link-up later.
(Video) Ilia Topuria, Alexander Volkanovski have friendly backstage linkup at UFC 312, feat. Charles Oliveira
With a possible rematch on the horizon, it seems there’s no animosity between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski. UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) corners brother Aleksandre Topuria at UFC 312. He meets Volkanovski’s teammate Colby Thicknesse in a bantamweight prelim bout at UFC 312.
Topuria snagged undisputed gold from Volk with a second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024. However, both have been very cordial; “El Matador” even welcomed him at UFC 308 saying he deserves a rematch. Topuria’s said he’d prefer lightweight as his next move. However, there is no friction with Volk who’s waiting on the rematch.
Topuria and Volkanovski greeted each other and chatted, then posed for a photo with Charles Oliveira and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber. It was a stately affair at UFC 312 (credit: @ufc on Instagram).
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Both fighters indicated that they didn’t know what came next. An interim featherweight title could be in play if Topuria moves up to lightweight. Volkanovski is also just hoping to get the opportunity to fight Topuria again at some point.
Related: Charles Oliveira flexes ‘Dana White privilege’ as UFC brass guarantees title shot next
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