Aljamain Sterling previews upcoming Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira fight at UFC 317: "That's the big question mark"
Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira are going to clash in the headlining bout of UFC 317 for the vacant lightweight championship. Recently, Aljamain Sterling provided a preview of the fight and a detailed breakdown.
'El Matador' has established himself as one of the fiercest strikers in the UFC today. He has done this by knocking out well-known veterans and former champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in his recent bouts.
His next opponent, Oliveira, is a strong competitor, best known for his remarkable grappling skills. Sterling questioned Topuria's ability to tackle his Brazilian counterpart's elite grappling skills, saying:
"Ilia versus Charles Oliveira. Great Matchup. Ilia still gets a chance to fight for gold to become a two-weight champion. This is interesting because Oliveira gets dropped every fight, just about. We know Ilia Topuria can crack. We know he could already crack at 145 [pounds weight class]. What is that power going to translate into at 155?"
'Funk Master' added:
"If he could touch Charles, the way he hits everybody else, I think it's a bad night, and I think Ilia is a two-division champion. But we haven't seen anyone force the grappling issue against Ilia, and I wonder if Do Bronx will try to do that to see if he can gas him out... that's the big question mark.
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below:
Ilia Topuria sends out a message to Charles Oliveira
Ilia Topuria has vacated his featherweight title in pursuit of becoming a two-division champion. Although he was unable to fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, he has now been given the chance to compete for the vacant 155-pound championship.
As he prepares for the title bout at UFC 317 on June 28, 'El Matador' has shared a message for his upcoming opponent, Charles Oliveira. With high confidence, Topuria took to X and wrote:
"On June 28, another dream will come true. I’ll be the champion of the lightweight division. Charles, my apologies in advance… I’m just fighting for my dreams. It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away. 17-0 🌹"
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below: