Charles Oliveira may have a unique advantage in preparing for his upcoming fight against Ilia Topuria.
Jean Silva, a top featherweight, has publicly offered to join Oliveira`s training camp to help him get ready for the fight against Topuria. This bout is scheduled for the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 317 on June 28 in Las Vegas. Topuria recently vacated his featherweight title in February, aiming to become a two-division champion. This move impacted contenders like Silva, but “Lord” Silva believes he can still play a role in potentially derailing Topuria’s plans.
On his YouTube channel, Silva explained his confidence in being able to precisely imitate Topuria’s fighting approach if he were to assist Oliveira.
Comparing himself to Topuria, particularly referencing their respective fights against Bryce Mitchell, Silva stated, “I performed better than you.” He elaborated, “Topuria faced Bryce Mitchell, and it was a real fight. He got hit, felt dizzy, and has even been knocked down previously in the UFC, something that hasn’t happened to me.” Silva contrasted their performances, asking, “Consider how quickly my fight against Bryce Mitchell ended, or how few strikes he managed to land on me. Then look at Topuria’s fights, even his wins by knockout – they lasted longer. He genuinely fought his opponents, whereas between my opponents and me, frankly, there was no contest. This isn`t because they are poor fighters, but because I dedicate a lot of time to studying.”
He further explained his ability to replicate Topuria’s style: “If he wants to understand why I claim I can mimic him, it’s simply from watching his fights. I’m not trying to be disrespectful; I recognize his significant accomplishments. However, my approach involves observing what works and adapting it, which is exactly what I’m applying to Topuria. So yes, I am capable of doing everything he does.”
Silva went into specific detail about Topuria’s vulnerabilities, pointing out how “El Matador`s” explosive striking style can sometimes leave him exposed to counters and unfavorable positions.
“I’ve observed how he adjusts his stance, hiding his rear foot before throwing a straight punch or cross,” Silva noted. He added, “He possesses powerful hips, but when he swings and misses a heavy hook, it often leads him to spin significantly, leaving his back open. We witnessed this in his fight with Bryce Mitchell. Let`s be honest, how many times did he expose his back?”
Topuria currently holds an undefeated professional record of 16-0, including an 8-0 run in the UFC. He became the featherweight champion with an impressive knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. The article mentions he followed this by knocking out Max Holloway in his first title defense at UFC 308 (Note: This specific claim about Holloway at UFC 308 seems to be an error based on publicly available fight records, but it is included here as it was in the original text).
Silva believes that Topuria’s aura of invincibility is a key factor in his toughness, but he maintains that Charles Oliveira, a former UFC lightweight champion, performing at his absolute best can overcome Topuria at his peak.
“Topuria genuinely believes he is incapable of losing, and that conviction alone is a significant advantage for him,” Silva commented. “Someone who is undefeated, or hasn’t suffered a loss in a long time, naturally believes they cannot be beaten. This gives them better chances than others. However, if the version of Charles [Oliveira] who fought Michael Chandler shows up for this bout, he won`t need my help or anyone else’s; he will handle it without difficulty. But then again, why wouldn’t he make use of all the resources available to him? I see myself as one of those resources.”
When asked why he hasn’t previously adopted Topuria’s style in his own fights, Silva simply stated it hasn’t been necessary.
“It’s because I am better than him,” Silva asserted. “That is the reason I haven’t fought in that manner. I performed superiorly compared to him.”
Silva clarified, “I don’t intend to speak negatively about [Topuria]. I just genuinely believe my fighting style is far better than his.” He also offered a specific technical observation: “If you observe closely, every time Topuria slips his head in one direction, he simultaneously lowers his hand on that same side. This occurs on both sides.”
In his critique of Topuria, Silva brought up an example from Topuria’s earlier career at UFC lightweight – a fight against veteran Jai Herbert in March 2022. Topuria took this fight on short notice and almost suffered a significant setback, being knocked down in the first round, before mounting a comeback to knock Herbert out in the second round.
Silva claims to understand precisely what caused Topuria to be in danger during that fight and anticipates that Oliveira will be able to capitalize on the same vulnerabilities with his guidance.
“He threw a right overhand punch, then leaned back and attempted a left hook,” Silva explained. “He left himself open while going for the hook because it was thrown too wide. And in both instances where he’s been knocked down in his entire MMA career, both within and outside the UFC, it happened like that. That’s why I am confident I can replicate his style; it comes from studying his fights. It’s not a secret, just based on analysis. And if he doesn’t like that, well, that’s fine.”
Marcus Blakely