During their initial faceoff leading up to UFC 317, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira engaged in continuous conversation. The exchange between the two contenders vying for the lightweight championship appeared to be entirely focused on the business at hand.
Despite Ilia Topuria`s firm declaration that he intends to secure a decisive first-round finish upon his return to the lightweight division, a significant amount of mutual respect was evident between the main event athletes. Having heard similar predictions before, Oliveira seemed unfazed by Topuria`s words during their intense, back-and-forth staredown.
Although the exact dialogue shared remains undisclosed, the faceoff commenced with Topuria and Oliveira embracing and concluded with the lightweights shaking hands. This suggests there is clearly no genuine animosity between them.
The absence of bad blood does not diminish the importance of the upcoming fight. Topuria is aiming to join the prestigious ranks of two-division champions, having vacated his featherweight title to compete at 155 pounds.
Meanwhile, former champion Oliveira is determined to regain his position as the premier lightweight fighter. He boasts impressive victories over notable competitors such as Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and has defeated Michael Chandler twice.
In contrast to the main event participants, the co-main event faceoff at UFC 317 featured a notably more stoic exchange. Champion Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France stood eye-to-eye. These two had perhaps the most intense staredown during the pre-fight press conference. Pantoja is seeking his fourth consecutive title defense, while Kara-France looks to achieve an upset in his first opportunity to claim UFC gold.
UFC 317 is scheduled for Saturday night, taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card broadcast begins at 10 p.m. ET and will be available on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
Marcus Blakely