Ilia Topuria Expects to Finish Charles Oliveira at UFC 317

Ilia Topuria anticipates his upcoming lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 will not go the full duration.

Known as “El Matador”, Topuria aims to capture a second UFC championship when he headlines the June 28 pay-per-view event against Charles Oliveira in Las Vegas, marking the conclusion of International Fight Week. The undefeated fighter previously relinquished his featherweight title. He will be challenging for the vacant lightweight belt against Oliveira, with acquiring a second title being his primary objective.

On Tuesday, Topuria posted a training video clip along with a revealing caption that read, “What do you prefer, submitting him or knocking him out?”. This strongly suggests his expectation is to secure a finish over Oliveira to become lightweight champion.

Topuria`s confidence is well-founded given his impressive track record as a finisher in recent years. He has only gone to a decision twice in his eight UFC appearances, and his last two victories were particularly historic. He holds the distinction of being the only fighter to defeat Alexander Volkanovski at 145 pounds and the sole opponent to finish Max Holloway via knockout.

He also holds a record of more submission wins (8) than KO/TKO wins (6), though it`s worth noting that seven of these submission victories occurred prior to his UFC debut.

In Charles Oliveira, Topuria faces an equally formidable threat with diverse finishing capabilities. “Do Bronx” boasts 10 KO/TKO victories and 21 submission wins over his extensive 46-fight career. He currently holds the UFC records for most finishes (20) and most submissions (16). While known for his finishing prowess, his most recent fight went the distance, resulting in a split decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan. Before that, he secured a TKO win over Beneil Dariush.

The UFC 317 card is headlined by the Topuria vs. Oliveira bout for the vacant lightweight championship. The co-main event features flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja making his fourth title defense against Kai Kara-France.