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Ilia Topuria makes bold prediction on how and when he’ll beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 317

Originally posted on HITC | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 3:33 PM ET

Ilia Topuria has stuck to his prediction of a quick finish, continuing to claim that Charles Oliveira won’t survive the first few minutes UFC 317.

Topuria enters the main event looking to join the exclusive club of two-division champions. The Spaniard has already made an impact at featherweight, beating Alexander Volkanovski to win the title and defending it with another knockout against Max Holloway.

Now, El Matador is jumping straight into a lightweight title fight against Oliveira – a familiar face at 155lbs who is hoping to reclaim the championship once held by Islam Makhachev – and he doesn’t seem to be scared at all.

Ilia Topuria reveals expectation for a quick clash with KO against Charles Oliveira

Some believe Topuria may be overlooking a No. 1 ranked Oliveira. But speaking with Simon Head on UFC.com, he remained confident that basic strikes will be enough to get the job done quickly.

“From the first second, he’s going to feel the speed and the power,” Topuria said of Oliveira. “He’s going to start to look for the takedowns and for the ground game. But I think that it’s going to be very, very quick because I’m going to finish him in the first two or three minutes.

“Jab, jab, one-two, and it’s over!”

Despite predicting a quick fight, Topuria also showed respect for Oliveira as a fellow athlete, acknowledging the Brazilian’s career features notable achievements.

“He has done amazing things in the sport. I respect him as a sportsman. As a human being, he seems to be a nice guy. But we are going to fight. And when we are competing with each other, I go all in. Just be careful!”

Ilia Topuria’s rise to champion has been littered with knockouts

Before the featherweight title fights, Topuria had already made headlines with a 10-7 round win over Emmett, and a submission of an undefeated Bryce Mitchell.

Result	Opponent	Method
Win	Max Holloway	KO
Win	Alexander Volkanovski	KO
Win	Josh Emmett	Decision
Win	Bryce Mitchell	Submission
Win	Jai Herbert	KO
Win	Ryan Hall	KO
Win	Damon Jackson	KO
Win	Youssef Zalal	Decision

In total, the Spaniard has four KO wins in his UFC career. Only two opponents, Emmett and Youssef Zalal, have managed to reach the judges’ scorecards against him.

Oliveira knows the power Topuria brings to the Octagon. However, he’s one of the most experienced fighters at lightweight, and has a jiu-jitsu game that could put a halt to Topuria’s rise if the fight hits the ground.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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