Ilia Topuria Offers Fans to ‘Pick a Poison’ to Destroy Charles Oliveira at UFC 317

Ilia Topuria is asking fans to decide the fate of Charles Oliveira in the UFC 317 PPV title fight for vacant lightweight gold.

Ilia Topuria Offers Fans to ‘Pick a Poison’ to Destroy Charles Oliveira at UFC 317

Ilia Topuria invites supporters to determine the method of facing Charles Oliveira (Source: X/IMAGO)

What has two legs, enormous tanks of overconfidence, used to dousing big challenges, used to hold the UFC 145-pound undisputed gold, and usually reels off with big wins? That would be second-time UFC lightweight entrant Ilia Topuria. In under a month’s time, he meets Charles Oliveira and challenges him for the vacant lightweight title. Ahead of which, he has asked fans to decide the discourse for him.

Ilia Topuria was angling for an Islam Makhachev-shaped PPV title super fight; “El Matador” even doused that he can pick his array of weapons against the promotion’s #1 pound-for-pound fighter, too. However, with Makhachev’s shock title vacation, he now meets Charles Oliveira atop the UFC 317 PPV main event during IFW Festivities.

While the Spaniard has parted with the Climent brothers, Topuria switched it up and has bona fide boxing legend Roy Jones Jr tipping the scales in his fight camp. After some boxing pad work footage, Topuria teased some grappling exchanges, asking fans to pick their poison.

What do you prefer, submitting him or knocking him out?

Ilia Topuria via IG

Topuria is considerably the consensus best boxer in the UFC right now, with many tipping their hats to his UFC 308 PPV headliner highlight. He made good work of Alexander Volkanovski; Topuria had doused similar challenges to either submit or knock out gritty Max Holloway in his first PPV title defense, which he successfully did.

While he was ramping his way to a supposed IFW Makhachev title fight, this was a prime topic to drive up the bargain. The Dagestani is the rightful pound-for-pound king who can do it all; he even submitted the submission specialist Charles Oliveira and outboxed a boxer.

So while Club Climent and his manager, Malki Kawa, reiterated that what lies behind the title vacating door was weight cut issues, Topuria has unheralded grapples, better than his boxing at times. It was meant to drive up the bargain against the then-lightweight champion, and it did; now Topuria is sticking to it. Oliveira, though, has his own plans and intends to use certain advantages effectively.

Charles Oliveira promises to knock out Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 PPV title fight for vacant gold

While Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria haven’t historically feuded as much online or set sail at each other, they know what they are capable of. Oliveira has had a UFC 155-pound top seed promise for a while now, way before the June 28 PPV headliner at T-Mobile Arena was set. Now, he means to get back to the title.

Charles Oliveira wants a violent finish of Ilia Topuria in his UFC 317 title bout
Charles Oliveira wants a violent finish of Ilia Topuria in his UFC 317 title bout (Source: X)

Sean O’Malley’s coach and the fighter himself have predicted Ilia Topuria has the power and natural hydration to crack Oliveira. Even Demetrious Johnson has veered that way.

Meanwhile, Beneil Dariush and latest opponent, Michael Chandler, have billed Oliveira as good all-around and very dangerous against the 155-pound competition roster of boxers. Oliveira himself is aiming for an explosive finish at UFC 317, and much like Topuria, he has designs to foul him in his own game.

It’s a great fight, he’s a great fighter, but I don’t need to prove anything to anyone about who I am, what I’ve done, …This fight came at a huge opportunity. I will knock out this guy. That’s for real… know he’s a guy who hits hard, but he’s talking about the lightweight category, the harder category. I fought against Justin Gaethje, and everyone said he was the guy who hit harder, and when I did, he went down. 

Charles Oliveira to the Full Violence ™ media team (@Full_Violence) in Brazil

At 23-10 UFC record, Oliveira rebounded from a split decision loss to former top contender Arman Tsarukyan with a win over Chandler last November. Per DraftKings Sportsbooks, he is a sizable +275 underdog on the money line to beat Topuria. Come Saturday, June 28, he wants to prove the oddsmakers and naysayers wrong on that.

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