Ilia Topuria has sworn Charles Oliveira in the “least painful” way to beat when the pair bumps over the empty UFC light weight title.
In the main event of UFC 317 in June, Topuria wants to become a two -way champion, while Oliveira wants to regain the belt that he had between 2021 and 2022.
Topuria left the featherweight title in February to chase lightweight gold, while 155 pounds Islam Makhachev did the same this week to pursue the goodweight belt. As such, Topuria was linked to Oliveira.
“I feel sorry for Charles,” Topuria said Alvaro Colmenero. “What is the least for him is what I will do, because I really like him.”
While the comments of the Georgian Spaniard were in the cheek, they were more friendly than the words he had for Makhachev.
“He is the biggest hypocrite I have ever seen,” Topuria, 28, Colmenero Toled. “He said he didn’t want to give me the chance [in a lightweight title fight] Because I was the little man, and now the little man is the one looking for the same chance that I was looking for …
“Ali [Abdelaziz, Makachev’s manager] Must thank me that he did not defeat his star. That is the fight that everyone wanted to see. I put everything I could on the table and they ran away. Why hunt? If someone walks away, you don’t have to bully them. I don’t want to fight people who don’t want to fight me either. “
Makhachev broke the record for successful UFC light weight title defenses in January, because he submitted Renato Moicano to retain the belt for the fourth time.
The Russian, 33, previously retained the gold with an entry from Dustin Poirier in June and two victories over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023. Volkanovski, who was at the time federalweight, was eliminated and cut out in their rematch by Makhakev in their first competition.
In the meantime, Topuria has eliminated Volkanovski last February to win the title of 145 pounds, before keeping it in October with a knockout from former champion Max Holloway.
When Topuria is opposed to Oliveira, he will remain unbeaten. In the meantime, Oliveira has tasted the defeat 10 times as a professional, but the best run of the Brazilian brought him to the lightweight belt in 2021, when he eliminated Michael Chandler before he submitted Poirier to keep the gold.
In 2022, Oliveira lost the title on the scales, and missed the weight the day before a planned defense against Justin Gaethje. Oliveira has submitted Gaethje to set up a vacant title fight with Makhachev, who submitted the 35-year-old to start his dominant regime.
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