The upcoming lightweight title bout at UFC 317, featuring Charles Oliveira against Ilia Topuria, could present a challenging night for Oliveira. This fight for the vacant championship was announced for June 28th in Las Vegas, following current Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev`s decision to relinquish his belt in pursuit of a welterweight fight.
Ilia Topuria enters the contest with an undefeated record of 16-0, stepping up from the featherweight division. Charles Oliveira, meanwhile, aims to recapture the title he lost in 2022. The matchup is particularly intriguing due to their contrasting styles: Topuria is renowned for his finishing power via knockout, while Oliveira is celebrated for his prolific submission victories.
Topuria`s recent highlight-reel knockouts of former UFC champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway have led a former champion to express concern regarding Oliveira`s ability to absorb strikes.
Aljamain Sterling Discusses Oliveira`s Striking Defense
Aljamain Sterling, widely regarded as one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history, commented on Oliveira`s striking defense and Topuria`s potential in the fight.
While Charles Oliveira might hold the record for the most submission wins in UFC history, questions have occasionally been raised about his chin. The fighter known as ‘Do Bronx’ has been dropped in four of his last seven bouts and has four career TKO losses. Notably, he was hurt by Michael Chandler`s punches in his last fight at UFC 309 in November. Sterling believes Topuria has a strong chance of testing Oliveira`s chin at UFC 317.
“Oliveira gets dropped every fight,” Sterling stated during an appearance on The Weekly Scraps. “Just about every fight…”
Sterling further elaborated on Topuria`s power, especially at the lightweight limit.
“With that said, we know Ilia Topuria can crack. We’ve seen him get dropped before by Jai Herbert. Came back [to KO him]. That was the first time he fought at 155. [Topuria] says he feels better at 155. His power is way different at 155. We know he could already crack at 45. [How] is that power gonna translate into at 155?”
He concluded his point on striking by saying, “If he could touch Charles the way he hits everybody else, I think it’s a bad night [for Oliveira]… Ilia is a two-division champion [referring to his featherweight title and the opportunity at lightweight].”
Sterling Leans Towards Ilia Topuria
Beyond Topuria`s formidable striking, Sterling also highlighted that Oliveira`s grappling game presents a “big question mark” in determining the fight`s outcome. He noted that Topuria hasn`t faced a dedicated grappling specialist since Bryce Mitchell in 2022, a fight Topuria won via submission.
However, Sterling acknowledged that Bryce Mitchell`s grappling credentials do not compare to those of Charles Oliveira, who holds the all-time UFC record for submission victories with 16.
When pressed for a prediction for the Topuria vs. Oliveira matchup, Sterling leaned towards the challenger.
“This is a hard one,” Sterling admitted. “I like Ilia in this one.”
He reflected on Topuria`s recent dominant performances. “It’s hard to count out Do Bronx. Do Bronx is, I still think, “he’s him”. But then I said that about Max [Holloway]. I said that about Volk. I’m not saying that those guys were gonna win against Ilia, but you say that those guys are still ‘them’, and then Ilia goes out and does that to them…”
Considering Topuria`s performances against elite competition, Sterling posed the question, “You’re like, f—. Who’s stopping this guy?”
While primarily recognized for his boxing in recent fights, Topuria possesses a strong foundation in Greco-Roman wrestling and began his professional career with seven consecutive submission wins, showcasing his well-rounded skill set.
Jack Thornley