Charles Oliveira is best known for his world class submission skills – but he says that his fists will do the talking in his upcoming clash with Ilia Topuria.
Former 155-pound champion Oliveira, 35, will fight the ex-featherweight champion Topuria in the UFC 317 main event in Las Vegas on June 28 to determine a new champion of the division following Islam Makhachev’s decision to vacate the world title ahead of a bid to win the UFC’s 170-pound title from the new champion Jack Della Maddalena this year.
And Oliveira, who has recorded 21 submission victories in his career, is confident that he has more ways to win if he is unable to coax a tap from Topuria on the mat.
“It’s a great fight, he’s a great fighter,” the Brazilian said, as noted by Yahoo Sports. “But I don’t need to prove anything to anyone about who I am.”
He added: “This fight came at a huge opportunity. I will knock out this guy. That’s for real.”
While many would point out that the unbeaten Topuria is regarded as one of the better boxers on the roster, Oliveira has proved throughout his UFC tenure that he is certainly no slouch in the striking department – with his recent record showing knockout wins over the likes of Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler.
More than that, though, Oliveira has frequently used his dynamic muay thai style of striking to engineer situations to bring the fight to the ground, where he grappling can often take over.
Either way, we find out in five weeks’ time.
