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Topuria Vs. Oliveira Breakdown

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 8:44 AM ET

Ilia Topuria faces Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 317 as we look at the breakdown.

Topuria moved up in the hope of facing Islam Makhachev for the chance to become a two-weight world champion. However, Islam will move up to welterweight to chase a second belt himself, leaving the belt vacant. Topuria secured the featherweight title after stopping Alexander Volkanovski, followed by his only defense against Max Holloway before moving up. Meanwhile, Oliveira hopes to reclaim the lightweight belt he lost to Islam. He arrives into the bout with a win against Michael Chandler at UFC 309. That was the perfect response following his loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300.

Breakdown

Topuria is an undefeated fighter with a 16-0 record. He has a strong Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling background. However, he has developed a reputation for his boxing skills. The KO wins against Volkanovski and Holloway showed that, as his one-punch knockouts were there for all to see.

Topuria walks his opponents down by cutting the cage off, forcing his opponents to exchange before he catches them. He also has a strong takedown defense, making it increasingly hard for fighters to take him to the ground. Even if he goes to the ground, Topuria has strong ground and pound shots.

He also demonstrated that he can secure submission wins once he gets on top of his opponents, as seen in the Bryce Mitchell win. However, this is Topuria’s debut at lightweight. There are still question marks over whether his power can translate to the weight class, as well as whether he can beat an elite opponent in his first bout.

Oliveira has a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and holds the record for the UFC’s all-time leader in submission wins (16) and finishes (20). He uses his long reach (74″) and diverse striking (Muay Thai, knees, elbows) to pressure his opponents, as shown in the Chandler and Dariush fights. Oliveira has good clinching skills, allowing him to use his knees and elbows. He is also good at using his kicks to the midsection to maintain distance. However, Oliveira has a tendency to get hit when he drops his hands. This will give Ilia confidence if he can land his power shots, setting the narrative for a competitive fight.