Aljamain Sterling expressed his respect for Ilia Topuria`s formidable power and emphasized that Charles Oliveira should approach this challenge with extreme caution.
Early in his fighting career, Oliveira faced criticism for seemingly faltering under pressure. However, he dramatically transformed, evolving into a world champion renowned for his toughness and ability to absorb significant damage before unleashing devastating offense. This evolution has resulted in numerous spectacular finishes and performance bonuses for “do Bronx.”
Oliveira is scheduled to compete for the vacant lightweight title against Ilia Topuria on June 28, headlining UFC 317. The belt became available after Islam Makhachev moved up in weight. (Topuria himself recently vacated the featherweight title to pursue this second championship). Reflecting on the impending clash during The Weekly Scraps podcast, Sterling questioned whether Oliveira`s characteristic aggressive style would be wise against Topuria.
“This is interesting because Oliveira gets dropped every fight,” Sterling noted. “Just about every fight. The last eight fights, I would say. With that said, we know Ilia Topuria can crack. We`ve seen [Topuria] get dropped before by Jai Herbert, came back. That was the first time he fought at 155. He says he feels better at 155, his power is way different at 155. We know he can already crack at `45. What is that power going to translate into at 155 and if he can touch Charles the way he hits everybody else, I think it`s a bad night and Ilia`s a two-division champion.”
Sterling then shifted focus to the grappling dimension of the fight. “But the grappling department. 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 and take away some of the pop from his punches. That`s the big question mark.”
Charles Oliveira is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous grapplers in MMA history. The 35-year-old holds the UFC record for submission victories with 16. He is also expected to have a size advantage over Topuria, adding a fascinating dynamic to any exchanges in close quarters.
While primarily known for his striking, Topuria has shown flashes of both offensive and defensive wrestling skills. His ascent to the featherweight title included a decisive knockout of Alexander Volkanovski, marking the first time Volkanovski had been defeated at 145 pounds. Topuria also holds the distinction of being the first fighter to ever knock out Max Holloway.
Given Topuria`s track record of defeating established legends, Sterling pondered just how high he might climb in the sport`s history.
“It`s hard to count out do Bronx,” Sterling conceded. “I still think he`s him. But then I said that about Max, I said that about Volk—and I`m not saying those guys were going to win against Ilia—but you say that those guys are still them and then Ilia goes out does that to them, you`re like, `Fuck… who`s stopping this guy?`”
Oliveira`s recent record shows two wins and two losses in his last four fights, though this follows an impressive streak of 11 consecutive victories in arguably the most competitive division in MMA. Conversely, Topuria remains undefeated throughout his 16-fight professional career.
The outcome of their highly anticipated matchup will likely hinge on which fighter can successfully impose their primary skill set. Sterling believes this battle for control will be a persistent theme throughout the scheduled five rounds, or for however long the fight lasts.
“I`m leaning towards Ilia,” Sterling stated, suggesting it might be the safer bet. “Of course, Oliveira can win, if he can grapple with him early, maybe he surprises us and shows us that Ilia can get tired and take off some of the sting of those punches, but then what does that look like for Oliveira in the later rounds?”
He elaborated on the potential difficulties for Oliveira: “Can he keep his hands up and defend the right way, especially if he doesn`t get a finish? And how does he get the takedown? He`s got to close the distance to get the takedown, against a shorter dude, how are you doing that? You`ve got to get underneath him. It`s hard.”
